The Edge of Dusk
by Kalafinn54
Summary: Sent by the Goddess with only a mission to fulfill, Ainchase Ishmael has set his path to live by his goddess' law. The world he was sent to, however, is no longer as stable as he once thought. His quest leads him to share a common path with a group of adventurers, but will they prove to be enough to stop the blade of dusk that is closing its edge to their world?
1. Chapter 1

Not even he knew how long he had been roaming around a small breach inside Time and Space. The only thing that he was certain of was his presence and his fading physical form.

Just a few moments ago, the El had exploded under his very eyes, breaking the balance and distorting the Goddess' world with Henir's.

Ishmael's servant couldn't stay trapped any longer. It was his duty to go back and reestablish the order that had been lost in that tragedy.

Ainchase's human form slowly vanished into a trail of light; his presence was simply the pale trace of a dim spiral, drifting over a canvas of a geometrical and chaotic darkness.

The immeasurable size of his prison astonished him.

From the monotone cubes that floated here and there to the dark blue star that barely lit the surroundings, all seemed to change as he floated from one place to the next.

His trip had come to a halt in front of a vast empty chasm between two cubes. He was too weak to move further. The energy the goddess had given him had died out with his vain attempts to escape.

With his fading consciousness, he thought again of his goddess and everything he had done before getting trapped inside Henir's world.

Maybe this world was meant to be a grave, not a prison.

Only an uncertain light remained from his old body. It was as wavering as a firefly's nocturnal dance; the small anomaly inside Henir's domain was dying out.

Yet the goddess he prayed to was finally able to reach out to him. The presence of the El empowered the dying soul, reanimating his conscience towards a new goal: reach the goddess' light.

From the endless darkness, a breach of light pierced the oppressively abstract scenery.

A new world was an arm's reach away, but before he could seize it, a warning echoed within his mind. It was the whisper of a goddess:

"Ainchase. You are not to delve too deep with their matter. Fulfill your mission as naturally as possible."

Yes, he had a mission to accomplish before he was imprisoned in this world. He had to restore the El, now more than ever. Ishmael, his goddess, had finally manifested into this world. As he reached towards the blinding light, Ainchase saw a flash of Elrios history.

The El explosion united the survivors but created a rift between the El Masters and the rest of Elrios. With countless shards spread across the world, the explosion reshaped the continent into two. Many tried to take advantage of the weakened shards, but all that bickering came to an end when the power of the gods burnt their wings.

From the fire of a century long war, humanity was still to be reborn from its ashes. Old empires had given their place to new ones just as old lives ended while others began. The perfect world of yore was no more.

Ishmael's servant opened his eyes in a forest where an imposing tree stood as the sole ruler of all nature. From the information he had received moments ago, he knew that five hundreds years had passed since the El exploded.

In front of him, the reminder of his captivity held onto the new life like a parasite. A small series of black and blue cubes contaminated the peaceful forest with their chaotic nature. The rift that had made him cross from a world to the other was slowly closing, hiding its depths from the foreign, yet familiar world it had been forced to reveal.

Ainchase quickly purified the malicious Henir energy from Ruben's forest and decided to walk down a dirt road that separated the trunks of two rows of trees. The sunlight was filtered through the intertwined branches, keeping the summer cool enough to be enjoyable.

The forest was buried under a blanket of silence; it would've been a sign of peace for anyone that walked in his place, but Ainchase was focused on the presence of the El that had allowed him to go back.

It had to be a powerful source, because it had allowed Ishmael to break Henir's barriers. If so, then it also had to be nearby.

After half an hour, he found the source accompanied by a surge of two distinct demonic energies. His path crossed the one of a red-haired boy, who faced an imposing blue demon.

The demon looked away from the combat for a couple of fatal seconds, mumbling something about a duchess named Soulscream while it swung its claws. The boy leaped into the air, fuelled by the power of the El around him. The gigantic claws barely scratched his shorts before leaving eight ice tracks over the vegetation lurking on the dirt road.

The boy's blade was covered by the sunlight and the powerful swing of his weapon made the beast leap back to avoid the blow. The energy dissipated into the ground, cleaving it with a clean cut that would've cut the demon in half if it had not moved fast enough. It roared, pushing the kid a few steps back before repositioning his deadly ice claws to tear the boy apart. The boy widened his eyes and lifted his sword to parry the formidable strike.

The second wave of demonic energy grew stronger, overpowering for a brief moment the one emanating from the blue demon. Although it was an invisible force, the energy wrapped itself like a chain around the ice demon's claws, stopping its attack. The boy had closed his eyes in fear as the attack came to a sudden halt.

Once again, the demon glanced to the south before looking back at the boy. The red-head had dared to open his eyes again, relieved to be alive. He clenched his weapon in his hands and took a step forward, keeping an eye on the powerful arms of the beast. He could not allow himself to underestimate his opponent, even when it looked to be distracted by something else.

The demon's gaze darted to another direction, not far from where Ainchase had come from, before letting out a short huff.

"...Could it be? I can't risk it here. I need to inform Karis about this." the demon growled before fleeing through a portal, barely escaping from a series of fireballs thrown by a purple-haired mage and the arrows of an elven archer that had made their way behind the boy.

The amount of El energy that the boy had gathered was already a clear sign of his destiny. The boy could certainly be the key to accomplishing his mission, even if he was not the El Lady. It was very unlikely that anyone else with that much affinity to the El would exist in this era where the El Masters and the El Lady had died.

The boy was out of breath and was using his sword as a cane. The energy that had once enhanced his strength was dissipating once more into his surroundings, leaving nothing but its burden on the strained body of the boy.

"It...disappeared?"

The mage walked from the path facing the one Ain had taken with a confident smile until she was to the boy's right. "Ran away, huh? Hmph, I knew it."

The swordsman turned towards the mage, visibly puzzled by her presence.

"You must be tired. First, let me introduce myself. My name's Aisha."

Her condescending voice matched the way she combed back her two loose braids over her shoulders. The boy, however, turned back to where the demon had once been, frowning.

"Tsk. I could've won."

The mage rolled her eyes and sighed. "Says the one that was getting beat up..."

The red-head turned his gaze towards her, which only made her gaze haughtier.

"Hah! I'm a magician from the South, you really don't need to thank me."

"What? You, are you...Are you looking for the Tree of El as well?!"

Her contempt quickly transformed into a childish rage. "You dummy! Listen to me when I'm talking to you!"

The elf watched the scene from afar as a demon girl and a half demon cautiously stepped onto the path where everyone gathered. Their steps rustled the leaves of the tall grass and bushes around them, making Ain believe that they had taken a shortcut. The oldest-looking demon was rubbing his temples with his fingers, but the girl didn't seem to mind it much.

"Is everyone ok?" the demon girl asked to the group that had gathered around the path. When she noticed his presence and the mage's, she squinted her eyes. "Who are you?"

The mage walked in front of the girl first, crouching a bit to talk to her face to face. For a second, Ain could've sworn he saw the demon girl glare at the mage with the coldness of an adult, but her gaze soon softened back to the innocence of a child.

The boy waved at the two demons with a friendly smile. "Lu! Ciel! Nice to see you around. Were you playing hide and seek in the forest again?"

the elf shook her head as she hung her bow behind her back. "I wish that was the case, but we followed you after you ran away, Elsword. We need to head back to the village and inform Lowe of what happened."

"I see." the boy said with an apologetic smile. "Sorry for making you worry, Rena."

Ain stepped into the path where the group had gathered, standing two steps behind Elsword. The elf thanked the mage for helping them out and by turning to her direction, she noticed him, standing calmly with a serene smile on his face.

Ishmael's servant waved his hand at the group. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon." the elf replied, making the other people turn towards him. "Who might you be?"

"I'm a priest that serves the Goddess. I'm here making a pilgrimage to the Tree of El, but it seems that the road has gotten quite dangerous. You wouldn't mind if I joined your group to return to the nearest village, would you?"

He noticed the scrutinizing gaze of the demon girl trying to burn through his facade, but to no avail. That demon was probably the source of the demonic energy that had made the blue demon hesitate to attack. The elf agreed to his request and the unlikely group of travelers made their way back to a village known as Ruben.

* * *

Ruben was a village of less than fifty civilian residents, hidden like a tribe within the dense forest. It would be easy to forget its importance, if it wasn't for the imposing stone fortress used by the El Search Party academy. The red uniforms of the knights that seldom wandered far from their fortress gave away their foreign and noble upbringing. Their captain, however, was an exception to the rule; captain Banthus was a charismatic foreigner, born in Elder, that had helped Ruben in more ways than what most nobles could brag about.

The fortress used by Banthus's men was isolated by a long, cold stone-paved path; it was the only weak chain that linked it to the tightly-knit wooden village. Only rare local knights were seen cross the unspoken boundary that divided the people from their guards. Among them, of course, was Elsword and Lowe; the latter was a lieutenant Ainchase had not yet seen.

It was Elsword was the who informed the priest, without much discretion, about the reality of his native village over an impromptu tour, shortly after their arrival.

While Ainchase would have assumed that Elsword was an exception to the villagers' wariness towards strangers, it wasn't hard to notice that the villagers there had no qualms letting two demons live among them. And Ishmael's helper was certain that those two demons could not have been born and raised in such a remote town. The demon invasion was very recent and its extent was still unknown to him. What was certain was that he had made it just in time to investigate the details behind the demon presence in the village.

Elsword was called back by Lowe, who was surprisingly young for holding his rank as lieutenant and role as supervisor of the new trainees. He had, however, the stern look of a knight who had seen a bloody battle unfold. The knight and the boy walked back to their distant training grounds, leaving Ainchase alone.

The priest sighed as the sun was setting over the horizon and returned within the acceptable boundaries reserved for lone visitors: back to the first circle of houses that separated the sea of green around it.

There was a small inn at the entrance of the village, not far away from the three shops that formed the only semblance of a commercial district inside the lost village. The village leader, Hagus, had given him a barren room, with only the minimum necessities to rest. For a room that was given to him free of charge for two nights, Ainchase had no complaints. He didn't need to rest, unlike the mage, the elf and the two demons, who stayed in adjacent rooms.

His mission had officially begun, just as the sunset left time for his rapid plans to take shape. The end of his path would come once the El was restored, but there were new threats lurking around around the El shards. Demon threats. Ideally, he would kill them both before the next day rose in the village, but he needed the trust of Elsword and the rest of the villagers to reach his end-goal.

He couldn't act alone, not involving himself in the human matters when his knowledge about the new world was so limited. He knew how history had led to this era as if he had lived through it, but even the goddess couldn't lend him her omniscience for the events after the first signs of the demon invasion.

"Elrianode got frozen in time, along the El masters...there's no one else who can maintain the balance if I don't lead them." he thought. "But to lead them, I must go against the order of my goddess. Goddess Ishmael...would this be the right path?"

He could feel his spiritual energy synch with the El around him, flowing towards the El shard at the heart of the forest. It wouldn't take long for the goddess to answer him, he was sure of it.

Ainchase waited, patiently, honing his senses to detect even the most silent sigh hidden within the El. He continued to hear the echo of silence until the edge of the night cut the orange-red firmament that still loomed over the trees.

The goddess had given him no answer.

Although he told himself that it was no reason to be alarmed, he frowned at the moon that had brought darkness upon the sky. He hated that natural darkness; it barely reflected the light of the goddess. That night sky was oppressive, like a closed coffin. A coffin of blue and black.

The priest shook his head and reprimanded himself for dwelling into a past he could never rewrite. Since he couldn't rest alone, he decided to set his first step towards his goals: gather information.

He went downstairs towards the small cafeteria where, instead of the metallic tea jars he had seen during the day, bottles of ale lined the shelves. The same pink-haired girl was in charge, and she turned her blue gaze towards him before nodding politely at him. Ain nodded back and walked to sit down on one of the chairs in front of the marble counter the girl was taking great care into cleaning. It was the only expensive thing that he had seen inside the village.

"Good evening. Would you like some water, sir?" the girl asked.

Ainchase nodded, thanking her once the wooden cup was brought in front of him. He took a sip of the fresh liquid, realizing that his throat was dry only when he swallowed the first gulp. He had perhaps strained his power a bit too much when he tried to contact Ishmael before.

"Your village is quite lovely, Miss. May I know your name?" he asked in between his third and fourth sip.

Her name was Ann and she was not only in charge of the inn, but also kept a small equipment store for adventurers just around the corner. He was surprised to know that the role of adventurers had been reduced to no more than handymen. Ciel, the half-demon, was earning his and his "cousin's" stay by becoming the first adventurer Ruben had licensed in two generations.

"I might have to become the second adventurer to repay you for your hospitality too."

Ann shook her head with a smile "No need to worry about it, Mr. Priest. Our village is blessed to have a priest come from so far away to bless the El in our forest."

Just about he was about to ask how to get to the El, the front doors of the inn opened. Their heads turned to see an exhausted Lowe drag himself to the counter to sit right next to Ain. He sighed, taking his head in his hands before asking for one pint.

Ann nodded and served the lieutenant a pint of ale, reminding him that he shouldn't be drinking too much.

"Don't worry, Ann. I've always handled my drinking."

The barmaid sighed. "It has never hurt to remind you to stick to your moderation. You've got a long day tomorrow too, don't you?"

Lowe nodded. "Yeah. Longer than today's. We've got to rotate the guards around the Tree of El. Those newbies will be too scared to face anything after what happened today."

Ann frowned and asked what Lowe was talking about. Since Lowe seemed like an honest man, Ainchase was not surprised to hear him tell the truth to the barmaid. Her smile faded and she got out in a hurry, telling them that she had to inform Hagus of the situation.

She had left the bottle of Ale on the table and Lowe reached to have a refill.

"That situation is also worrying me, Lieutenant. I'd like to help your village in any way I can."

The man glanced at him as he took a sip from his drink before turning his full attention towards him. He didn't seem too inclined into letting a priest lend a hand where he could lend little to no aid. Ain assured him, however, that even if he was not a warrior, his magic could help them verify the state of the El. Lowe nodded, thanking him for his offer, but Ain wasn't sure if the soldier would accept his help.

Lieutenant Lowe was the sole exception to the villagers' warmness. But perhaps the alcohol would let Ainchase keep some of his knowledge. The priest began by talking him about Elsword, and how impressed he was by his skill with the sword. Just like he had anticipated, Lowe's stern expression warmed with a spark of pride.

Elsword was the second youngest recruit that had completed most of his training as a member of the El Search Party. Ain showed interest in knowing more about how Lowe had trained him and the lieutenant was proud to reply. From then on, the chuckles that sprang from time to time during their conversation warmed Lowe's cold exterior just like the ale warming up the soldier's cheeks.

It was then when Ain knew that he could get the information he needed. He had to know since when the duo of demons had lived among the village.

"Tell me, Lieutenant. When exactly did those two arrive at your village?" the priest asked before taking the last gulp from his drink.

"Around the middle of spring. They looked like they had been through hell and back. Especially the little girl. They hadn't eaten for days, they had lice infesting their hair..." the brown-eyed man took a sip of his drink. "You get the picture: They looked exactly like the refugees from a war. Makes you wonder how a couple of elves got in such a dire situation."

Lowe frowned and fell silent for a couple of seconds before getting a bit closer to him, as if to whisper a secret no other guest should hear him say. The inn was, in fact, empty besides the two seats they occupied.

"I spoke with Rena, the forest elf, a week ago. She told me that there are other kinds of elves out in Elrios, but she hasn't heard of any village near Velder. I swore I had maps of Lurensia, with every village in the continent, but those maps weren't there."

The man sighed and pointed to his forehead with his finger. "But I have a good memory, right here. I remember everything on a map and I can't remember ever seeing a village of elves named Yndar around Velder. Never."

The priest was relieved to know that at least a single human in the village was not blind to the cheap excuses that those two demons hid behind to attract their sympathy.

"That is indeed suspicious, Lieutenant."

Lowe nodded as he got back, finally taking the stench of alcohol away from Ain's nose. "And it stays like that. No solid proof, no grounds to accuse anyone of anything. But, you know, there is this-"

The door leading to the counter opened, revealing the pink-haired barmaid carrying a wooden box where she put empty bottles and glasses left behind on the counter. She made her way to their table and took their glasses away. With a pout, she reminded Lowe that he shouldn't drink too much when he had work to do the following day.

The lieutenant received her scolding with a smirk on his face and got out of the inn, wishing Ain a good night.

Ann also asked Ain to go to his room, as the night was coming to an end and so did the opening hours of the pub. The priest did as he was told, but didn't rest for the five hours of darkness that remained before dawn.

He had to find a way to convince the villagers that demons were not all like the beast he encountered, but they could also take a humanoid appearance. The problem was the way the demon girl's act influenced people around her. No one would think about hurting a child nor her so-called older cousin.

He had reached the same obvious conclusion that the human lieutenant he had talked to: without irrefutable proof, no one would believe him. However, he had no reason to keep appearances in front of the two, especially not the girl. The more he thought about the energy he felt that afternoon, the more he was certain that she had to be the source of it.

No half-demon could overpower a full-fledged demon, according to what Ishmael had taught him.

The following day, he passed his morning talking with Ann and other villagers in the same friendly way he had talked with Lowe before. Before noon, he knew that the demon girl liked to play around Lake Noahs during sunny afternoons like the one that was only a couple of hours away.

With this in mind, he looked for the demon girl where she usually passed her afternoons alone while her servant helped around the village.

Lake Noahs was only fifteen minutes away from the village by foot and the dirt road that lead to it had almost no turns. It was an easy path to follow and it paid off with what Ain had been looking for.

The white-haired demon sat over a stone underneath a century old oak, a dozen of steps away from the rocky shores leading to the lake. She didn't seem too surprised to see him approach her, although her tail moved around cautiously like an angry cat ready to attack.

"This village is a sanctuary, don't you think so?" the demon began, staring at the calm surface of the lake. The midday sun left rough traits of its light reflected as silver blades over the surface of the water, the intense blue hue of the sky and the leaves rustling against the breeze only made the silver blades cross paths over a quiet prelude for combat.

Ain glanced at the lake before looking back at her. "It must have been until you brought more demons with you. I know very well what the demons could be after in a place like this."

The girl frowned and stared back at him, not with the look of a child, but with that of an adult who would not take any accusation he threw at her. "What you are insinuating?"

The priest sighed. "I think you're old enough to know exactly what I'm insinuating, demon."

Lu huffed. "If I was after the El Shard here, I would've already taken it. No need to wait months to snatch it under the nose of those gullible humans. But do tell me, Priest: those clothes you wear do not fit at all with those that modern priests wear. Why is it?"

Ain remained silent, enduring the sharp gaze of the demon girl as a victorious smile was curling her lips. "You look like someone took you directly from some temple before the El exploded and put you here, in the middle of nowhere. How intriguing."

Before the girl opened her mouth again, he spoke in a colder tone. Clouds were pushed around over the clear sky, dulling the reflection of the sky with their whiteness. "Not as intriguing as a demon and her servant pretending to be elves _and_ pretending that they have no bad intentions."

"Surprisingly, I don't lie about my intentions. Perhaps that is not the case for you, _priest_. Berthe would've killed that brat with a swing of his claws if I had not consumed the little power I gathered during my travels. A priest like you would've surely noticed that, just like I noticed your presence long before Rena did."

Ain stared at her, arms crossed and furrowing his eyebrows at what she was implying. The demon sighed and rolled her eyes. "What a way to ruin my day. I have never liked to deal with people from your time. I'll see you around the village until you decide to leave, I suppose."

She got up and left him there to gather the little information she had given him. She knew the name of the blue demon and the demon had to know her.

She had to be the countess the ice demon had mentioned.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I was thinking of doing a weekly update of this fic, but considering my lack of progress the fourth chapter, I will slow down to a bi-weekly update.**

* * *

After the news of Berthe's attack got to Hagus's ears, the news of the event reached the court of Elder in a matter of days. It was not the first demon sighting the village had seen, but this one came at a worrying time. A time the Lord of Elder had prepared for.

Wally had summoned all the nobles along the head of the Velder commerce association, Richard Hoffman, and Yiu Hie, a powerful mage that had served him for a decade. The room was sealed by heavy doors, just like a vault where they were the treasure. Wally liked to see himself as the final guard and overlord of Elder's prosperity, just like Lord Sebastian was before him. Every treasure was in front of him, aligned in two columns that forged a path to the exit.

There was still someone missing: the young engineer that had made most of his plans possible. He had the proof to make the other nobles change their opinion on his plan, but Wally thought that his speech alone would be enough to convince everyone beneath him.

"Gentlemen, I have summoned you here to discuss the events that happened eight days ago in Ruben. It has not been the first time a demon has been spotted around the area and we've all heard the contradicting rumours coming from Fluone."

The monarch looked at the faces of his court. Some seemed already worried while others simply kept the same stoic face they had always shown for all meetings. Wally took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his position get heavier over his shoulders, before continuing what he had to say.

"As you probably know already, I have been preparing an army of Nasods since the first demon set foot in that village. We don't know exactly how strong the demons are and time is clearly running out. The reports from Hamel vary from very optimistic to the worst case scenario. The only real fact is the increasing amount of refugees that are either drowning or making it to Velder's shore. They've been fleeing from something and that something might also knock on our doors."

He passed his tongue over his dry lips, knowing that revealing his plan would not be as welcomed as his previous plans. Not without any proof to back it up. "The most recent models have proven to be as effective as a unit of twenty men. With a force of a hundred Nasods and a special unit, we would have the force of two thousand five hundred men to deal with a demon threat."

Some nobles nodded, while others began to cross their arms, doubting what their ruler had to say. "There's only a last pebble on the road before we can add that colossal force to ours: we need the power of the El Shard to power the Nasod army."

Not a single instant of silence let his words weigh onto the audience when Jhonattan Hartfeld, a young blonde noble, shook his head in disagreement. "With all due respect, Lord Wally, we cannot risk the safety of seventy percent of our farmland like this."

The old leader sighed. "I am aware that this decision is not an easy one, but we'd only be moving the shard from Ruben to here. We're not taking it away from the region it helps, we're simply relocating it."

Leon Leitner, a redhead who was a good friend of Hartfeld, stepped in to support him. "I share the same concerns as Baron Hartfeld. What kind of horrible leaders would we be if we risked the lives of the villagers that work for us? That'd be asking for the same rebellion that shook Velder a few years ago."

The sole mention of the war strained the grim expressions of all the people around, specially Baron Vergnert Montern, who had lost his younger brother to the bloodiest rebellion in the history of Lurensia.

Hartfeld nodded. "Yes, and the demon threat has not come for us the way I've heard it hit Hamel, if we believe the rumours about the Resiam massacre. I doubt Fluone's capital would let his commercial heart fall overnight, but let's assume that the wildest rumours are true."

The blonde baron opened his arms and walked in front of the other members of the court. If the brat wasn't related to Count Witterel, Wally would have called his guards to take him away for his impertinence. However, Wally was barely an Viscount in Velder's Court; he could only grit his teeth and frown at the young man who had taken away everyone's attention away from him.

Wally knew very well that the golden-haired brat had no noble reason to go to Velder except to get favours from his family in the capital in exchange of expanding the royal army. The favours he could offer as a viscount paled in comparison of what a Count or the King himself would offer, but the defence of Elder came first in Wally's eyes. He couldn't let the opportunity to prove his power slip away like this.

"The demons are invading from the south of Elrios, and they're looking for more blood. If we are to stop such scoundrels, we should not battle here. We're away from the capital. Besides, the El Search Party would not allow any relocation without Hamel's approval. It is the capital of the church too, after all." Leitner continued.

Hartfeld glanced at his friend with a smirk on his face. "As Baron Leitner has said, the Party is under the jurisdiction of the Hamelian Church. This decision would cut Lurensia's good relationship with its only neighbour."

Wally saw the spark of treason in their eyes. It was not yet time to reveal his full plan until he knew exactly who would still remain faithful to him. He knew there were at least two people in the room who would not benefit to leave the town.

Hoffman, Hie and Vergnert seemed very concerned by the idea, just as Wally had hoped. Nevertheless, Hartfeld continued to boast the merits of his plan. "Our forces can unite, and we can keep our Lord informed of the situation. Our honour belongs to the King!"

"And what will you do, Baron Hartfeld, if you go with all the troops and the demons go and attack us right when we need to defend this town the most?" Vergnert grumbled.

"Sir Vergnert, there are a lot of affordable mercenary orders Wally could hire. It is a much more effective alternative instead of putting your trust in an old legend we've barely seen do more damage than one soldier." Leitner replied.

The nobles whispered between themselves, agreeing with each other or bickering between petty disagreements like they would usually do. Wally took a deep breath, stood from his throne and faced Hartfeld, glaring at the cocky grin the brat had on his face. If only Sebastian Wells were alive, Hartfeld would stay quiet.

"Very well. I will leave this matter to your judgement. You can either go with Lohengramm or stay with me to defend this town. Let me remind you that the demons could very well be trying to flank the continent, forcing all of you to fight in two close fronts if you choose leave this town unprotected."

Lohengramm scoffed. "Lord Wally, you are sometimes way too pessimistic. I suppose the years have impeded you from seeing a new tomorrow."

"Gentlemen, make your decision and leave if you desire to do so. The meeting will continue with those who decide to stay." Wally hissed.

Hartfeld shrugged with a smug smile that Wally wished he could punch off his face. One by one, nine out of the ten official members of the court left with him. Only Vergnert, Hie and Hoffman were left. Wally returned to his seat and took a deep breath, trying to wipe his frustration away from his face with his hands.

The heavy wooden gates leading to the courtroom opened, and an exhausted albino entered. He looked around the room and walked up directly to the Lord himself. "Well, I guess the meeting is over. You guys sure you want to send like ninety percent of the troops away like that? Seems like a fucking bad idea, if you ask me."

Wally cleared his throat to regain his calm voice to inform Add of the current situation.

"We are all vassals to the king of Velder, and those men have the courage to go defend the kingdom on the frontlines. They will keep us informed, Add. But that's not of our concern currently. In a way, you're on time for the meeting. Please report the progress you've made to the gentlemen here."

The engineer nodded and used his dynamos to activate a tridimensional video feed from the laboratory Wally had built through the years underneath his residence. A three-story tall Nasod was resting in the main room, connected to countless cables while smaller Nasods welded a heavy metallic blue armour over its arm. It gave it the intimidating size of chimney and the faint glow in its open hand made it clear that the appearance of the rest of the arm wasn't just for show: that arm was made to shoot powerful beams of energy from the palm of its hand. To its back, a mechanical cannon, only rarely seen on the finest war airships the kingdom had used during the rebellion.

"Where did you buy the cannon?" Hoffman asked, his eyes wide open at the fully armoured titan in front of him.

Add chuckled and pointed at himself. "I built it from scratch thanks to the military records you kept around. Nothing complicated when you have the blueprints. I had to give it a personal touch to transform it into a terror machine for any enemy infantry."

Vergnert squinted his eyes at the Tracer, demanding an explanation.

"If we get a large power source for this beauty, the main cannon will fire energy orbs that will either deal most of their damage as they fall or orbs that detonate a few seconds after hitting the ground."

The Baron turned towards Wally. "If this is true, then the force of this machine is worth way more than a whole cannoneer division. Even still, we should monitor closely the demon presence in Ruben before taking the El Shard, and talk it out with the El Search Party about this plan."

The Nasod engineer clicked his tongue. "And by the time you come back with the shard, I won't have the time to activate it, nor test if its code doesn't malfunction upon activation before demons come storming through the gates."

Hoffman sighed. "And how much time you would need to do that, Add?"

"The more time you give me to make sure everything works perfectly, the better."

Everyone's gaze turned towards the ruler of Elder, waiting for his approval

"Hie, you are the most knowledgeable on spiritual magic. You've told me you've worked with the Haan clan: the protectors of the Moon El in your native town. If we were to take the El from the Tree, how many people would die?"

The old mage closed his golden eyes, rubbing his chin as he mumbled in his incomprehensible native language. After a moment of silence where all ears were eagerly waiting for his answer, the elder from Fahrman's Peak spoke.

"I have not seen the size of the El of Ruben nor felt its ties to the forest. I would think that if the shard is big enough to power a Nasod army, then its range of influence would protect most of the territory it already covers, like Lord Wally mentioned before. The only exception might be the villages that are, at most, a two days hike away from it."

Hoffman nodded. "That would mean that only Ruben would be affected. It's a fairly small village, but it holds the training grounds of the El Search Party. Under normal circumstances, they would protect the Shard at any costs."

Add clapped, making the video disappear. "Ok, then everything is settled. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more research to do."

The albino strolled away from the room, closing the door as loudly as he had opened it.

"Why don't brats listen to me!" Wally mumbled before looking at Vergnert. "Can you summon Banthus here as soon as you can? I need him to gather his men and more to put this defence plan into motion."

Vergnert nodded. "As you wish, my Lord, but I will ask you to tell us first how you plan to negotiate with the leader of the El Search Party."

The Viscount nodded. "Most certainly, Sir Vergnert. I will offer him a good bounty for his service. Naturally, that is not limited to getting the Shard here, but also finding new men to defend this town. That golden-haired brat left us practically defenceless and I'd rather have troops that obey a man of my trust than gamble money on bandits that would call themselves mercenaries just to get food and shelter."

Hoffman nodded. "A wise decision, my Lord. But I must ask one more thing on behalf of the merchants of Elder: how much money will Banthus be given to accomplish this task?"

"At most, a hundred million ED."

The brown-haired merchant widened his eyes, utterly shocked by the astronomical value Wally was willing to give away.

"Lord Wally, that amount is absurd even as a maximum! The coffers are almost empty with the costs of the Nasod Research through the past four years. Spending a hundred million ED like that would put the town in a horrible debt! Please reconsider and offer him at most thirty million. That should be enough to hire good men for the job."

The Lord nodded. "I will take your concerns in consideration, Hoffman. I am aware of our precary economic state and I will put all the measures in my power to ensure that we do not fall in debt."

The merchant let a sigh of relief and thanked the lord of Elder before the latter concluded the meeting.

Once he was left alone, Wally looked at the small gold medallion he had once shared with one of his closest friends: Banthus's father. Sebastian Wells was a brilliant commander and the one who would always defend his view in Court just like Lietner had Lohengramm's back. His death was felt in court, mostly because it shattered the influence Wally held without imposing himself as a tyrant.

Being an old man in a court formed mostly by a rebellious youth was a challenge he could not quite step up to. The war had strained his charisma of old, but he still had a town to look over, the town Sebastian would have never abandoned. If the current taxes couldn't keep up with an offer worthy of his friend's son, he would do anything in his power to keep his city afloat.

There was the possibility that Banthus would refuse to move the El Shard

"It's time I acted like the captain I used to be, Sebastian: My word will be the law because my word is what will make the crew survive the war." the Tyrant thought to himself.

* * *

After Wally had dismissed him, Yiu Hie, as most strangers to the inner circles of the court, walked right back to his quarters, looking for the better solution in his heart. He feared that all choices he had would lack compassion. That alone weighed his conscience down for the rest of the day, where he sank in the silence of the palace, looking over the troops that left the palace. He could still overhear them, talking excitedly about becoming heroes in a future battle, earn fame and glory next to their leaders.

It was not uncommon for young soldiers to lack humility, but he had never grown quite used to the flagrant differences in the path of the warrior that Lurensia imposed. It was empty, almost without any real code for such responsibilities, leaving it up to each knight to forge his own morals. It was dangerous.

With a deep sigh, he closed his window, then the curtains of his chamber and decided to rest for the days to come.

Although his philosophy greatly differed from the native citizens, Hoffman and Vergnert walked down the corridors of the empty palace together, sharing the same worries as the foreign mage.

"I still don't trust that Albino. He has something up his sleeve, I'm sure of it." the merchant mumbled to the warrior to his side.

"What I am worried about is the bribing plan. If Banthus is an honest man, he will do exactly what Hartfeld said. That said, I'm still iffy about letting a village unprotected like that. Even if it's for the greater good, it just doesn't sit well with me."

Hoffman nodded. He still had to keep his contacts in Ruben to round up the equipment sales of his company for the El Search Party and having them as enemies would greatly compromise it. There was still a possibility, however small, that Wally succeeded in convincing Captain Banthus.

"Vergnert, you know that Banthus is the previous lord's son, don't you?"

"Of course, everyone knows it. But if that man is anything like his father, we're screwed. Sebastian was a man of honour. Someone not even Hartfeld would dare to contradict. Shame we lost him in the rebellion."

Hoffman sighed. "War always takes the best of us, unfortunately. Banthus will get to your household by tomorrow, won't he?"

The warrior nodded and a smirk twisted the merchant's face. "Then you will know first hand if Banthus lives up to the name of his father."

The colossal warrior frowned. "Hoffman, I'm not a merchant. I don't trick people and I never will."

Hoffman raised an eyebrow and chuckled wholeheartedly. "I'm not thinking anything of the sort, such tactics are only for scammers. Merchants only take honest deals. What I'm looking for is to reduce the risk in our hands. If you get the feeling Banthus is like the spitting image of his father, we would not mention any of the Lord's plan, would we?"

Vergnert chuckled. "You never take too much risks, don't you? You sly fox."

The merchant stopped and the warrior turned to the right, getting out of the Palace's grounds. Before leaving, the merchant left a final whisper of caution for the merchant's ears.

"Just be careful Ishmael doesn't make fate turn against you."

Hoffman nodded and waved at the Baron. The last remains of the soldiers working for Hartfeld were leaving, talking excitedly about finding glory in the battlefield.

At that moment, he remembered something he had heard from some faithless merchant from Lanox: people were masters of their own destiny.

Hoffman searched his side pocket and found the sacred rosary his father had left him. The small cross of Ishmael reminded him of the fate controlled by the gods. He knew he had the biggest opportunity in his hands and no goddess would stop him from seizing it.

The merchant threw away the religious artifact and walked to the nearest antique shop to buy a pocket watch. He tied it to his belt and put the artifact where the rosary used to be. It suited him better, for he would watch carefully the right time to act instead of letting the gods roll the dice.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey, it's been more than two months, but to compensate for this long silence, here is a double chapter update! I hope you enjoy it. Future updates will come monthly (as long as college doesn't kill me).**

 **~Kalafinn**

* * *

A month of summer was coming to an end in Ruben and Ainchase was forced to admit he was facing an impasse. The El Search Party soldiers were not too inclined in letting him stay near the El for more than fifteen minutes. The shard, however, had not moved and no other demons had appeared to take it. Even so, in the calmest days, he could not afford to let his guard down when he knew that demons were right under his nose.

To pass his time and to pay for his stay, he became an adventurer like the half-demon. Ainchase passed little time with the other new adventurers, focusing on tasks that kept him away from the demons while being close enough to the villagers to gain their trust. Specially Lowe's. Usually, it would be the captain's duty to oversee adventurers, but he was apparently visiting Elder and hadn't come back for a month. Whatever the reason of the visit was, Ainchase knew that it was unusually long. At least, those were the facts for Elsword, who was the only member that answered most of his questions about the organization.

Ain knew Elsword was probably the only man who could change the mistrust of the El Search Party towards him when the captain was nowhere to be found. The absence of the leader was suspicious on its own, but the way to stay closer to the El and the El Search Party was becoming an adventurer. He was not the only one that went through that process, although he was the only one besides the half-demon to officially become adventurers. Ruben's laws on the matter did not allow underaged people nor women to hold the same qualification.

The mage brat was only qualified to qualify as a support mage, while the elf and the demoness passed the qualifications to be senior and junior scouts respectively.

Of course, this enraged the young purple-haired mage more than the elf, as she never stopped repeating how her noble Fluonian lineage was prestigious. They were supposedly unfit to content themselves to the duties of mere support mages.

Despite her constant whining, there was no way around the law and not a single person in the village wanted to lie about Aisha's gender. The elf took her duties as a scout better than Aisha, and it was thanks to her heightened senses that a group of guards was able to stop a couple of Phoru bandits before they stole part of the village's crops a week prior to this August afternoon. The demon duchess, on the other hand, lent a hand to Ciel from time to time. Aisha, on the other hand, passed most of her day with her books and barely helped Ann. Saying that the mage was not appreciated by most of the village was an understatement.

That afternoon, Ainchase decided to meditate in a place closer to the El than the village; Noah's Lake. Fortunately, the lake was uncorrupted by any human or demon presence. He walked towards the rock he had seen the demon duchess sit on and sat on it to meditate and find a reply from the goddess.

The lake was calm and the mild breeze that made the leaves whisper their quiet melody accentuated the spiritual peace of the blessed forest. The El's presence was still strong and the weather was perfect for a long meditation session, unlike the previous ones.

In all his time in Ruben, the rare time he could spare for meditation would not reconcile him with Ishmael's voice; the silence was dreadful for the minutes it lasted, as dreadful as a forest covered in shadows. His constant trials had empowered slowly the El, and that was the only solace he could find: as long as the El was strong, Ishmael had not died.

Sooner than later, the goddess would contact him again. It had to happen soon, perhaps before the end of the fall. As an agent of the goddess, Ainchase had to keep his hope in those words, even when they rang hollow as the silence extended itself over the seasons.

He had finished his meditation of the day after listening to two hours of silence and was heading back to the village when the elf scout was coming from. She stopped and told him that they were called by Lowe for an emergency. At that moment, Ainchase doubted there was any serious emergency the village could be going through when the sacred jewel that kept the forests pristine had not moved.

"What is the emergency, Miss. Elf?" the priest asked.

"Lowe hasn't said much, but considering Elsword's mood today, my guess is that something is wrong in the El Search Party."

The grey-haired priest squinted at Rena. "They seem to be doing their duty perfectly on their own. Why would they need the help of adventurers?"

The elf lowered her gaze to the dirt road that lead to Ruben and left him with a dangerous assumption before they entered the village's entrance. "I hope I'm wrong on this, but I'm getting a feeling Lowe will ask us to go on a manhunt."

* * *

They were invited for the first time to cross the gate of the El Search Party's fortress. Behind the stone curtain, one could have forgotten that it was still the same village. The men were training for war in many ways; some through the sword, some through magecraft and others by forging weapons or potions. Across the great open training fields, the instructors barked severe orders at each small group of trainees.

Among this raging noise, Elsword waited for them at the entrance to the western aisle with some worry in his eyes that he tried to hide behind anger. Aisha, who usually would mock the young redhead, did not say a word as she witnessed the hidden warmonger nature inside the fortress. Something very serious had to be threatening them.

As they were walking through the halls, the silence dominated just like the shouts of trainees and trainers alike had overwhelmed the noise in the training grounds. Apart for some veterans passing by here and there, the indoors seemed to be abandoned. Elsword only had to knock twice on the thirtieth door to their left for Lowe to invite them to come in. Once the group was inside, he asked them to close the door.

"Thank you for coming, adventurers." Lowe began, looking at each of them by the eye. He thought that even if he two of the elves were suspicious, they were exactly what he needed. All of them apart from Elsword were outsiders to the El Search Party; they would have no qualms about capturing Banthus if his worst fears turned out to be true.

"Commander Banthus left for a trip to Elder like he usually does every month. However," Lowe's tone lowered, laced with the barest hint of worry of the information he was about to repeat to Elsword. The young trainee had been the one to bring the letter to him and Lowe hoped the kid had not spoken to anyone about it but the people in the room.

"A few days ago, I received this letter." He waved the paper around for emphasis, frowning. "It's a resignation letter. Commander Banthus has officially left the El Search Party."

Nobody reacted to the news and seemed mostly confused about it. Lowe thought to himself that perhaps he was expecting too much for them. Ainchase understood that Rena's worries could perhaps not be unfounded, but so far, there was nothing suspicious about a resignation letter. It was simply a decision, as sudden as it was.

"But Mister Lowe, I don't understand. Mr. Banthus wanted to leave on his own. Why are we here?" the demoness asked with the sickening innocent voice that Ainchase knew to be fake.

Sometimes, Ainchase hated how his thoughts coincided with those of a vile creature, but more than that, he was curious to see Elsword's reaction. While the others had been agreeing with Luciela and asking Lowe more question, the red-haired boy remained completely silent, holding his chin in his hand, eyebrows furrowed as he stared hard at the ground.

He knew his village better than anyone else and while Lowe was trying to get his point across, he held his tongue about most of what he was asked. He could not tell Ciel whether Banthus could easily take away a part of their forces, although that was what he feared. The lieutenant could not answer Rena's question about the reason behind the totality of the guards training. Lowe was preparing for the worst-case scenario, but besides saying that they were simply testing all the recruits, he could not fully trust neither his men or these new adventurers.

The former could be still faithful to Banthus and follow any orders coming from him, regardless of what they were; the latter, besides the priest, were complete strangers to the Party. They would not be trusted by others if the two groups ever needed to cooperate. What he did answer to was Lu's question. The problem with the resignation letter was its mention to a "comfortable pension" that Banthus had already received and a change of residence that simply had not happened yet.

All of his belongings were still in his home and absolutely no one had come to pick them up, nor they were planning to. If they were, they would have received a notice from Cobo Services along with the letter. Furthermore, the messenger that delivered the letter was a different person, supposedly a newbie, but his scarred face resembled to one of the petty bandits that lurked in the forests.

That was not all that was making Lowe increasingly apprehensive about the matter. The letter had come alone and even if it had the official approval crests of the Velder Knights, the main branch of their order, some minor details about them were slightly off. They were minor details, only observable through the biggest magnifying glass they had. But they were there.

The group slowly began to get one of Lowe's worries, but still could not find the immediate issue. Only someone born in the village would know of what immediate danger would be. Still, the minor whispers of realization did not disturb Elsword's thinking. Or rather his remembrance of the kind of man Banthus represented in the village.

Ruben wasn't exactly the safest place in the map. The roads towards it and other places being surrounded, most of the time, by bandits who wanted to get some quick cash. Elsword had been part of the trainee group that Banthus took with him one day to patrol one of the bandits' favourite spots. That was when the group had captured and scarred some bandits before returning the stolen goods. While Elsword had handled one or two men with his comrades, most of the job was done by Banthus.

He was a big man, with scars that proved more his character of unflinching courage, rather than a weakness. It scared most petty criminals, who preferred to sneak around instead of fighting. And it was captain Banthus's intimidating presence that made most bandits receptive to flee the area out of fear. In less than five years, the captain kept the bandits at bay from the tree of El, which they were trying to pillage and sell small chunks of the El for a fortune. It was then that he realized that the bandits would only stay at bay as long as the captain was there.

His thoughts came back to that messenger. He not only had scars, but his clothes had too much mud on it, perhaps mixed with dried blood; Elsword could not tell for sure from the brief seconds he had seen the man. The man's speech had also struck him as odd. It was not the quiet, polite Velderian accent Cobo messengers had. No, it was a rougher, almost primitively native accent Elsword had heard around. Somewhere close to home.

His ruby eyes slowly widened as he grabbed bits and pieces from the conversation around him. Look at the letter. Closely. The messenger was different. No moving notice. No cart in Banthus's home. No one to take his stuff away. And the captain, as tough as he was, he was still human. And the bandits could be very sly.

"The bandits sent the letter!" he exclaimed, the loudness making the rest of the murmurs quiet down and all eyes were on the boy.

Lowe blinked in surprise, honestly not expecting Elsword to be the first- and probably the only one from the looks of the other's faces- to understand what the situation can lead to. Shaking off the surprise he nodded, a small smile cresting his lips out of pride. He could trust Elsword, that much was granted.

"That's what I've been fearing. And if they got him under their claws, it is very possible they are planning to attack where they could not before." His smile was replaced by a frown. "And that leaves a lot of possible targets. The tree of El in particular. They might use Banthus either as bait or as a hostage." He cleared his throat and tucked the letter away, standing tall and stiff with his arms behind his back.

"And this brings the very reason of this meeting. The tree of El is the source of fertility of the farmland and our only protection against threats like the recent demon attacks. And with Banthus gone and possibly used against us, I can't leave this matter in hands of other knights that might not act if their captain asks them not to do so."

Ain understood the worries of the lieutenant, but he was very wrong on place his trust on the El to keep demons away. In fact, it could do quite the opposite. The demon duchess, her servant and the giant demon were already a living proof of it. He was ready to bet that those demons had not been the first ones to show up near the village.

"You will all be going as a group with this mission. The security and safety of the El should be prioritized at all times. And that will be the mission that I will entrust to you all. You can use force if you deem it necessary. But do not kill any of my men nor Banthus." With a sigh, Lowe's gaze softened slightly before it once again hardened.

"I wish you all good luck. I hereby declare that this meeting is over. You are dismissed!" he said, clapping his hands together once to signalize the end.

Lips stretching into a firm line, he watched as the party slowly turned, talking amongst themselves. Most looked concerned about the ask, but Lu seemed to be as cheerful as always, as a child should be. He hoped that the girl would not get in harm's way, but she had proved to be very agile in the few errands she did. Even if he had his doubts on her origins, Lowe did not wish any harm to her nor her cousin.

Only ten minutes after the adventurers left, one of the supervisors knocked on his door.

"Come in."

The brunette came in his office, saluted him and began to explain an unexpected situation.

"Sir. The cadets you sent with our horses this morning have not returned. Even if it's for a scouting training, I think you should call them back."

He frowned. "I never authorized such a thing. Where were they headed?"

The woman's face filled with dread and her armoured fists clenched. "They told me that they got authorized by the highest commander in charge..."

Lowe sighed. His fears were slowly becoming a reality. "Private, listen to me. We need to inform our men as fast as we can of this situation. The plans have changed. Gather everyone in the auditorium."

"Roger that, Sir."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I got to thank Sei for helping me to write both of these chapters and Aes for his proofreading. Without these two people, it would've taken me at least two more weeks to update. See you in February for chapter 5!**

 **~Kalafinn**

* * *

Once they were out of the fortress, they were quickly on their way to the tree of El, guided by Elsword. Ainchase glanced at the demoness and quickly thought of a way to get rid of her for the mission. He refused to let a demon even get close to the El, specially under the circumstances their mission implied.

"Ciel, I don't think it would be wise to go with Lu. We're not doing small repairs anymore, and we might face bandits this time. It's a bit dangerous for a child like her."

He felt the white-haired demon glare at him from behind. He glanced at her and saw her pout and look at the other members.

"I can run pretty fast. If it gets dangerous, I can hide. Just like I did when the bad blue beast was around. Ciel can look after me, right?"

The half-demon was surprised to see himself put under the others' scrutiny, but the man was shy, and he simply nodded. He assured them that he would always look after his cousin no matter what. While everyone knew that he had gun blades, no one had seen him use them before. Rena got her bow ready, Aisha took a last glance at her grimoire before taking only her staff with her while Elsword already had his sword on his back.

Every suspicious noise got them on high alert, but besides the animals and insects, no other humans but themselves were travelling on the sinuous dirt road that lead to the El. Since no one had objected against Lu's stay after Ciel's reassurance, the demoness smirked victoriously at the priest before continuing to talk with her servant. It annoyed him to know that his idea had not worked, but he would keep an eye on that vile creature, so she kept her claws far away from Ishmael's creation.

"Ain, I know you're a priest, but can you fight?" Elsword asked him. After some seconds of silence, he continued. "I'm saying it because we might be outnumbered, and I know I can't handle more than two men on my own."

Aisha sneered. "Oh, my. The red-haired dummy can actually say smart things! Too bad they're obvious and Ain passed his adventurer qualification using magic. He _isn't_ as good at is as me, but I think he can fight just fine. I guess you don't notice anything once you're in that fort swinging your sword day and night for absolutely nothing."

Ainchase could not help but smirk at Aisha's ignorance. He could not use much of his power exactly because he did not want to be discovered. Although, that duchess had perhaps travelled around Elrios enough to have doubts about his nature. She could easily become a difficult problem to complete his mission. If she discovered that he was a Celestial, Ishmael would reprimand him for not accomplishing his mission without getting involved the lives of mortals.

' _My goddess…I'll do my best so I can finish my mission. I will go visit one of your purest temples soon.'_

Elsword glared at Aisha. "Shut up, petty mage."

"Well, make me! Go ahead, Elbrat!" Aisha stopped, blocking Rena's and Ciel's path. She crossed her arms and looked defiantly at Elsword. The boy had continued his way, but after a dozen of steps, he glanced at her and prepared to throw a punch at her. The mage swiftly evaded it and used her staff to make Elsword lose his balance and fall head first to the ground.

She giggled. "Not bad for a _petty_ _support mage_ , right? I hope that shows you and your recluse village that my genius ought to be respected. I'll let you know that I've reached the level of a first-class elemental mage and I _deserve_ to be classified as such."

Elsword got up to continue his attack, but Rena quickly separated the two with the severity of a mother. "That's enough. We're losing time. Precious time we need to find the El. Ain, Ciel, please look after those two. I don't want to hear another peep from you two until we have gotten to the tree. Are we clear?"

The elf's voice had a sharp yet calm pace, like the whistle of an arrow aimed at its target; its menace was surreal, and her warning had called a short piercing breeze that scared the two brats into silence. However, the demoness could not let that altercation die. It was in her nature, so she approached Aisha.

"Aisha…"

The young mage looked at the white-haired girl, seeing in her smile nothing strange, until the kid began to speak.

"Elves are suuper good to detect magic, you know? I can tell who's a really, really good mage right away! With just two glances like this!"

Aisha widened her eyes but continued to listen to the girl and see her squint her eyes to see her worth as a mage. The mage got increasingly paler and rubbed the back of her neck with her left hand as the demon girl continued to stare at her. It was the first time Ainchase had seen the mage truly nervous about something. Demons could not perceive magic that was not of demonic origin, but the mere mention of someone else bluffing to know her worth put the young mage on the edge.

It was sickening to see the lengths demons would go to feed on fear.

"Aisha, you're–"

"I'm a genius magician, that's what I am." She harshly answered, visibly flustered by how terrifying Lu's sky-blue eyes had seemed. Almost like a predator's gaze.

The demoness grinned and nodded before going back to Ciel's side. The half-demon shook his head in disapproval and Ainchase saw her smile fade away. The priest only saw in this a poor attempt to continue to hide their nature, but soon enough everyone would see them for what they were and banish them back where they belonged.

As they approached the tree, the stench of rotting flesh froze everyone in place. It clung to the air around them and made it hard to breathe unless they wanted to inhale the utterly disgusting smell. Ishmael's agent tried to keep his face as placid as possible without gagging and making it obvious that he was holding his breath as the group trekked deeper through the marsh mass of trees and damp ground.

What was worrying though was the amount of decay increasing the closer they neared their destination. He thought it was only worry that made him think that the El's presence was seemingly getting weaker. It only turned his worry into alarm when he heard Rena speak.

"The forest spirits are dying… something is wrong with the El." came her quiet, worried whisper.

They covered their noses as best as they could, but they quickened their pace to reach their destination. Ainchase felt the strong presence of the El be disturbed by something. Then, he heard it. The weak voice of the goddess he had longed so much to hear finally rang with her soothing tone. It had a hint of worry in it, making his relief rather short-lived.

 _Ainchase. You must not let them disrupt the balance of things. The Shard must return where it is needed._

Of course, he would not let any petty criminals get away with their worthless schemes. The goddess's warning made him certain that the sudden decay in the forest was caused by the absence of El. They still had a chance, he wanted to believe that. Just as they were approaching the giant tree, they saw horses with the insignia of the El Search Party tied to a carriage along farming horses.

They hid to ambush the carriage and see exactly who was behind such a big theft. Elsword had not heard anyone talk about horses being stolen ever since he joined. In fact, he doubted mere bandits could manage to get past the walls of the fortress to steal something as big and valuable as three horses.

From the entrance of the tree, an imposing shadow appeared, carrying the shard as it coughed.

"Phew, this is really transforming into a grave. Let's get going boys."

"We have company, boss. Y'all need to give ma crew a thousand more. Or the deal's out."

The shadow stepped into the light with the shard, glaring to his surroundings before he unsheathed his sword with one hand and pointed it. Ainchase looked above him and saw the bandit, playing with a dagger. Once the bandit noticed him, Ain threw a light dagger that pierced the man's skull. The body fell with a thud that got the other bandits to jump to subdue the others. The group quickly dealt with them, but once Elsword saw who the leader was, the one that took the shard, he froze.

"Captain…. Captain, we're here to rescue you from the bandits' claws! You can leave the El with us, we'll-"

A guard from the El Search Party knocked the boy out with the pommel of his sword and nodded at the former captain. "Sorry, kiddo, but we retired from that miserable job. This is way more worth it."

The rogue knight whistled, calling more bandits to come. That way, he protected the caravan and Banthus from the group's reach. Rena made her arrows fly, killing some, but other bandits came from behind her, swinging wooden logs at them. One hit from those and they would die.

Elsword was still knocked out, and Lu would not let that poor excuse of a Knight Captain destroy the place she had finally been able to live in peacefully. Without much thought, she summoned her combat gauntlets as the others used everything in their power to defend the unconscious Elsword and make way to follow the caravan, which was growing smaller as it pursued the horizon.

The demoness shredded the poorly armed bandits and knocked the other knights over with her gauntlets. She would rather not kill people that had strong ties to the village. But even after the thirty bandits and the dozens of Party members were either dead or knocked out of combat, the carriage was still a small dot, losing itself in the middle of countless tree barks.

Luciela stopped, clenching her fists. She was out of breath and her sudden power outburst had again burdened Ciel. She could feel his pain. That acute burning over her back froze her in place.

Her gauntlets vanished, as she fell on her knees and wrapped her hands around her shoulders. It hurt. She hurt Ciel. It filled her with shame, and she could only lower her head in bitterness. Lu wanted to defend what she cherished but doing so would also hurt part of what she desired to protect.

It was a cruel dilemma, but she would have no way of reclaiming her throne if she made the wrong choice. Through her vision, blurred by tears, she saw the tree leaves grow yellow, slowly turning black. The corpses of the bandits also reeked, but no flies were around. It was a silent, terrifying death. Her blue eyes glared at the horizon that had swallowed the lowly thieves.

Mere thieves would not escape from her. And they would know how it felt when this terrifying death came to their doors. Just like she had seen it before. All those bandits would know how it felt when she took what they valued from their powerless hands.

'Lu…Let them go for now. The horses' trace won't vanish.' Her servant suggested through the silent bond that united their minds.

'Ciel, it's smelling like death already. Like that place…'

Luciela could not bring herself to even mention the other town they had fled from. It was a quiet place, embraced by the sea. She had loved it, with its salty summer breeze and bitter cold winters. But they had brought its demise with it. Would this village suffer the same fate? Of course, it would. All because she was still too weak to stop anyone from taking what she cherished.

She felt Ciel's comforting hand over her shoulder and she turned around towards the group. One of the two brats was injured, even bleeding. The elf and the mage were doing what they could to carry him back and Ciel was exhausted.

It was better to go back to the village. She had to dry her tears, erase any trace of weakness or else…what? She was still playing her role as a defenceless child; why would she ever think of not showing weakness? Luciela reminded herself to keep her pride in check. Acting tough now would raise a lot of suspicions. More than those that her relentless attack had caused.

The duchess sighed. One thing was acting like a reckless child and another one was being one. Her outburst was just a slip, an action caused by old emotions she had to keep in check. It was because of those same mistakes that she was betrayed. No more.

She had to stop thinking like that. If she did not plan her revenge carefully, her throne would be forever lost.

Ciel glanced worriedly at Lu, but he refrained to share his worries. This was not the moment to argue about that ruthlessness she had begun to let lose since they had fled from Fluone. His head was killing him, and Rena was already calling them back. He wanted to believe Lu's resolve to not get blinded by her rage, but this was the fourth time she had failed to keep that promise since they had made it here.

They had gone through a lot before coming here; he was used to it, but the same could not be said for Lu. It was perhaps just a matter of time until she could get over her rage. Her outbursts had grown rarer, so it was possible. Lu had not mentioned her revenge for months. He could only hope she would let all of that go and find what she really wanted, after living in Elrios. Maybe she would grow to appreciate it more than the realm where she had been betrayed.

* * *

In the middle of their way back Elsword came back to his senses, and although he was able to walk on his own, he was oddly aloof. Even when Aisha mocked him again, he barely reacted. Ciel noticed that the mage's smile faded when Elsword remained silent and contented himself to look blankly at the path ahead of them. Without a word, without an argument between the two kids, the group returned to Ruben in half the time it had taken them to get to the tree of El.

At the wooden entrance of the village, Lowe and some knights stood like guards waiting for them.

"You're back." Lowe's hard tone cut through Elsword's pensive gaze and the boy lost the strength to look forward. The man seemed annoyed and angered. Though he would probably grow even more angry when they told him the news about the stolen El.

"Yes. We are." Elsword muttered with a trembling voice. The boy took a step forward, hesitantly, yet he knew he had to inform Lowe about what happened.

"Hey Lowe…." he began, threading on thin ice "About the mission…." he gulped, nervously fidgeting with the handle of his weapon absentmindedly when Lowe's stern eyes shifted to look at him.

They softened for the briefest moment before they turned sharp once again. "I can only imagine what happened, Elsword. I ran a brief investigation around here. They had three of our horses, didn't they?" he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

He looked at the group of adventurers once more and saw Ain slowly approaching them from behind. Lowe thought that it was odd that the priest had not kept the group's pace, but now they were all there. The lieutenant ordered them to follow him back to the El Search Party's fortress and he now led the group through the village.

Ainchase looked around him and thanked his nature for allowing him to vanish for some time without anyone noticing. The villagers waved at them, but the stern look on everyone's faces soon dissuaded their welcoming greetings. Even Ainchase could not keep a fake smile on his face. He had fallen for the simplest, but unexpected traps. After that little impostor had collapsed to cry, he took it upon himself to follow the culprits and catch them. Yet, his plan was foiled by the lowest class of spirits he could think of: Phorus.

Those trickster spirits had slowly changed his perception and guided him through an unknown path until he came back here. It was frustrating, he was fuming at the thought that mere animal spirits could make a fool out of him. Yet, he had to admit that even the lowest of spirits had a strong influence in their forests. Ishmael's servant sighed as the gates of the fortress opened before the group.

He would not let those bandits go unpunished. They would know the goddess' judgement and would feel divine punishment take away everything from their hands for the greater good.

Ainchase shook his head and reminded himself that he should not look at it from that angle. Revenge was a twisted perception of retribution. One only petty humans and demons carried through. He was a Celestial, a servant of a goddess. He simply had to carry her will and not trouble his mind with anything else. If the goddess chose to punish the bandits, he would execute her sentence, but the priority was the El.

It was with this new goal in mind that he entered Lowe's office once more and closed the door behind him. He had not noticed when the other soldiers had gone away, but now only the lieutenant remained nearby.

Lowe informed them of the theft that some scouts had managed to pull no later than the crack of dawn. A few hours later, the troops Lowe sent out to cover all the paths leading both in and out of Ruben had heard the commotion and thundering of horses, pulling along a carriage as they ran. Their speed far too fast for the men to pursuit on foot alone and any projectiles seemed to be deflected by some kind of powerful magic. In the end, they had managed to get away.

Ain clenched his fists as he got the confirmation that the forest itself was on Banthus's side. It was absurd, but such things were bound to happen when the balance was disrupted. It was his duty alone to restore it.

Rena took out a grey leaf out of her skirt's pocket and showed it to Lowe. "This is what's happening to the forest. And it's spreading. Not even elven magic can revive it."

The lieutenant took the leaf and looked at it in detail, it was dead, but not rotten. It was an ashen colour that was slowly turning black. Ain closed his eyes, knowing all too well that the village was now in imminent danger.

He honestly didn't want to think about it, the lost crops, the famine, then… the image of the once beautiful forest completely withering away stayed in his mind. If it lasted long enough, not even the corpses would be left behind. It would all turn to black, like a coffin. No light would ever return the life to this village, this forest. Everything would go back to the same oppressing darkness he had been kept in for so long…

His mission might take too much time, it was impossible to know for certain. Yet he had to think of a way to not be reminded of that world. Ainchase could not let the cold darkness from Henir's world invade Elrios.

Aisha had begun to speak, trying to put her knowledge of elemental magic to work, but Rena's wisdom soon made her realize that using nature magic might only accelerate the decay. Everyone was still thinking of an alternative to save the village.

"Perhaps we can get a temporary source of El…" he starts, cutting the thoughts of everyone around him and making Lowe squint at him in disbelief. "Using the shards of old equipment, for example." The priest added.

"You can't just replace the El, even if it's temporary." Lowe hissed, eyes narrowing like he was saying the most absurd thing in the universe. That garnered a spark of annoyance from the priest. Ainchase could never get used to humanity's narrow-mindedness to brilliant alternatives.

"I am not saying that my plan will save the forest, but it will surely help the fields and the crops survive. If we do not try anything, what will we eat during the winter?" he asked, a cold bite tinged his tone. He now had everyone's attention even if Lowe still had some disbelief in his gaze.

"Lieutenant, we don't have any other source, and the time to think is running out. Summer is coming to an end now and I am fairly certain that a lot of farmers are preparing for the harvest. Neither Miss. Elf nor the Mage have come up with better alternatives, isn't that so? I must insist, lieutenant: consider my solution unless you have another plan hidden from us. In which case, I think we would all like to hear it now." he finished, crossing his arms and waiting expectantly for a reply.

Lowe opened his mouth for a reply, before shutting it and instead just glared at the priest, feeling his pride wounded. Yet he had to admit that the priest had a point. The safety of everyone was more important than his pride. Lowe took a deep breath and resigned himself to the plan.

"Fine. We'll go with that plan," he muttered in a low voice, glancing at everyone. "all of you look for any shard of El that you can find. Collect them and we'll try Ainchase's suggestion. Ask Ann if you need more help. I'll let some of my blacksmiths to help you to extract the El from the broken weapons we might still have around."

The El shard harvest had proven to be more bountiful than what Ainchase had expected. With nine hundred shards, they could ensure the complete safety of all the farms and beyond. In theory. The month of September flew by without any changes to the crops. However, once the wheat harvest came by with the second week of october, all the theory Ainchase knew was crumbling.

Only half of the usual production came by and some farmers came to them, showing the strange sickness that had made their crops die. Ashen wheat. The corruption was barely being contained by the shards, which were slowly turning mauve. The priest frowned at the shard he had been given. It was their third meeting with Lowe and the news could not be more dire.

"The El is getting affected as well by the decay." he coldly stated.

"Then, you will immediately leave and find Banthus. All of you. Take some provisions and some El Shards. The survival of the village is on your shoulders."

Elsword looked worriedly at his superior. "Hey, Lowe..."

The man looked sternly at him, reminding him that this was not the time for treating him like a friend.

"Excuse me…Captain." the boy could not get used to call him that. Banthus's betrayal still haunted his young mind. "I was wondering if we could come back here sometimes to bring you the bandits' gear and information when we could...Sir."

The new captain huffed as a smirk crawled on his face. "Of course, private. I said that the survival rests on your shoulders, didn't I? I expect no less from a good recruit like you. Have a safe journey, adventurers. You are dismissed."

When they finally left the fortress, the group began to slowly disband as they went to search for some of their belongings. Elsword however, had not moved. Ainchase approached him and saw the boy smile as he looked at his sword. It had been roughly two months since the boy had smiled like that.

"You look better than before, Elsword." the priest said, making the boy look at him.

"You bet, Ain! Lowe is trusting me more than ever, despite what happened back then. We can't let him down, can we? He's our friend!"

Ain nodded and left the boy to his silent pride. He walked back to the village and thought about Ishmael.

He could not let her down. If he did, she might never answer him again.

 _My goddess, I'm never going to forget my mission. Please be patient as you are with the humans of this realm._

No answer.

More reasons to hurry.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: It might be the 28th, but a monthly update was promised, so here it is. I do not think I will be able to publish anything for March, as the mid-terms are coming closer and closer to claim my soul, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for your reviews and the reads, they make me even eager to continue this story.**

 **~Kalafinn**

* * *

The expedition was far from being easy. Sometimes the forest blocked paths to make them turn in circles and other times, they reached an area so affected by the lack of El that they had to fall back due to the smell. It was not hard for anyone to reach the conclusion that something was stopping them from reaching their destination, but only Rena could get close to the conclusion he had reached. The eighth night of their journey was falling, and they set their camp in a clearing that was half-way to an old farm.

The distance they covered shortened by the breaks they had had to take, as neither Elsword nor Aisha had enough endurance to carry their belongings for more than three hours. Even if Lowe had warned Elsword against the weight of his chainmail, the boy insisted on carrying it on his back. Aisha's strange belongings surprised most, as she would not leave her heavy leather-covered grimoires behind, nor a strange wooden shield nobody had seen on her before.

As far as Ain could tell, the mage had probably been in combat before, as the marks on her shield were enchantments with protective spells made with the Wind El's energy. That was the only thing that made her claims of being a superior mage hold any weight. Only a priestess could have made those enchantments, and not every mage could get such a powerful protection on their belongings.

The moment they sat down, Ciel took out their only map out and looked at the old compass Lowe had given to them. He had written their path through the forest with Elsword's help and although they had advanced somewhat towards Elder, their constant zigzags and roundabouts had only put them further away from both Ruben and their destination. If the Plague forced them further south, they would reach the ocean.

According to Elsword, they were if they could find a way around the Plague to the east, they would be in Elder before the first snow fell. The camp fire was ready to gather around to eat a piece cheese and bread. The little water that remained in their canteens had to be refilled soon, at most two days from now. Even if they did not find a pure spring, the shards they carried with them could come in handy to purify whatever water they found.

"This is hopeless." Aisha sighed. "We've been going in circles ever since we set foot here. We'd better just go back."

"We can't do that. We promised Lowe to come back with shards and information on the bandits!" Elsword protested.

The mage clicked her tongue and crossed her arms as she rolled her eyes. "I don't promise impossible things, you dummy. That's _your_ thing. I wonder if you'll keep saying that when we're freezing in this maze two months from now."

Rena took a deep breath while the two demons simply observed the scene in silence, just like he did. However, Ainchase simply did it as part of his duty to his goddess. The other two were surely enjoying the endless discord inside the group, like other vile creatures of their kind did.

"Alright, everyone." The elf announced. "I think I should remind you that we are part of a team, the group of adventurers that Lowe himself put in charge of this mission. Elsword, keeping your word is a great value to cherish, but you should not let it be more important than everyone's well-being."

Just as Aisha began to smirk at the boy, Rena's severe gaze turned towards her. "And you, Aisha. Tell me, have you gone on an expedition before?"

The mage nodded. "Of course, I studied a lot of ancient ruins, took back valuable magical artifacts for my family, not to mention my–"

"How long did those journeys take, on average?"

The mage was startled to be interrupted in her glorifying monologue like that. The elf's calm voice was exactly what made her lower her head and clasp her hands nervously together. "At least a month."

Rena nodded and rubbed her hands together to warm them. "We've only passed eight days, including this one. I know that it is frustrating to turn around in circles, but we can't afford to become pessimistic so fast."

Lu nodded and smiled at the elf. "You're right, Miss. Rena. I'm sure we can get those bad guys in no time!"

The elf squinted her eyes at the young girl and glanced at her gloves. "Of course, Lu." She said with a smile. Her green gaze stared a bit longer at the slight movement of Lu's tail but quickly shifted her gaze towards the fire and rubbed her hands together before huffing a breath of hot air to warm her pale fingertips.

Ainchase noticed Rena's lingering gaze on the demoness's weapons and decided just to push his accusations a bit into the light.

"You fight quite well for a young girl, little elf." He said, flashing a calm smile at the monster in disguise.

The demoness giggled. "Ciel taught me a lot. I could not let the bad guys get away like that."

The priest glanced at the half-demon and the man nodded to confirm his master's lies.

"I see. But I suppose that fighting with gauntlets must be quite different from doing the same with gun blades. Pardon my ignorance if that assumption is wrong, I don't know much about weaponry myself."

Ciel hesitated a bit before answering with his usual serious voice, closing the priest's options to cast any more doubts on their peculiar fighting style. "It is true that gauntlets are very different from gun blades, but Lu is a child and is still too weak to wield something as heavy as enchanted firearms. The best weapons suited for her are those that enhance her strength like spears or some light enchanted shields or armour that can both act as defence and offence."

"Gauntlets are more cute than a spear or a shield or an armour, Ciel." The demoness mused.

The man sighed and patted her head. "They're not very practical, Lu. But since you liked them…"

Rena and Aisha glanced at Lu, but it was hard for Ainchase to tell if they all were on the same page or not. In times like this, he would have loved to yell the obvious to everyone around him, but that was not his place. He was an observer, and the goddess had ordered him not to dive deep into the matters of mortals. Being part of this group was perhaps almost over the border he could not cross, but it was necessary to accomplish his mission. He had no doubts that Ishmael would realize that once he could contact her again. Although, it would be best if he went ahead and gathered more information.

* * *

The night was falling, and they ate the remaining cheese and bread crumbs they still had in their pockets. They would have to reach the farm by tomorrow afternoon or else risk eating wild berries intoxicated by the Plague. Like every other night, they began their meal in silence, only paying attention to the sounds around them.

Nothing had happened so far, but Ciel and Rena were always on the watch for ambushes. Weapons on their back, always sitting down until everyone was asleep, it often gave the impression that all adult elves became superhuman in all senses of the word. Kid elves were only super strong.

"Don't you guys ever sleep?" Elsword suddenly blurted out, startling Lu and Aisha.

"You almost gave me a heart-attack, dummy."

Aisha stared at the flames of the fire camp, mumbling in Sanderian her scolding to the young knight. She had gone with other caravans of travellers but going with kids like him annoyed her beyond any measure. Come to think of it, she was stuck with a bunch of weirdos: an elf, a creepy girl and her cousin who had the sharpest aim with knives and firearms.

"Yes, Elsword, Ciel and I do sleep, it's just that…" the elf took a small pause and Aisha glanced at her, only to notice that it was only because she was drinking some water. "Elves only need to sleep about three hours."

Ciel nodded while Aisha widened her eyes. "Three hours? I find that hard to believe with that perfect skin of yours."

Rena smiled with a glimpse of pride. "My skin isn't as perfect as it used to be. It has gotten a bit dry for the past days. The autumns here are colder than in my village."

Elsword glanced at her. "I don't think the weather here is super cold or anything. Sis has been in Hamel with father and she told me how damn cold Hamel is compared to here. Is Velder cold, Ciel?"

The blue-haired elf nodded. "The summers there are rather rainy and cool. The winters are not that different."

Aisha let out a long 'hmm' as a breeze chilled her to the core. She got up to search for her wool blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders before sitting down again. Ruben's fall was colder than what she expected, way more so than what the summer was like. The mage could only fear what the winter would feel like in a couple of months. This kind of weather was the reason why she wanted to go back, but her pride as a Sanderian woman would never allow her to ever say so to anyone.

She brought the cover closer to her face to cover the shivers that were getting progressively harder to control in front of others. Mages should control their every gesture to master magic, their every thought, but Aisha's mind was only focused on getting closer to the campfire and making it warmer. It was not the right state of mind to warm herself, as fire magic could get out of her control if she only thought about fire and her fear of cold.

"Aisha, do you need another blanket?" Rena asked, looking for the blankets she carried to give one to the mage.

The mage took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm good."

If her grandfather saw her like this, he would remind her to keep the control over her mind to get what she needed from her magic. A small spark of warmth, a small flow of mana between her and the blanket over her was all she needed. After a few more deep breaths, she emptied her mind from her fears of freezing and only think of the warmth of the evenings of her native town. The crackle of the fire helped her to picture the soothing scenery and now she felt much more aware of the small enchantment she needed to warm herself.

She whispered softly the enchantment in Sanderian, almost reminded of the lullabies she had not heard for years. For a moment, she saw herself as a child, falling asleep in the family's library only to wake up with a soft cover over her shoulders and the smile of his grandfather. In a morning like that, he handed her one of the Landar's most treasured weapons: The shield of Al-Sayyid Ali.

Even if she was the heir to the family, receiving such a treasure only set in the expectations of herself even higher than before. Aisha had to not only be the best mage of the Landar's but the best mage of Fluone or a Heroine of Elrios. It was her only path if she did not want to bring shame upon her ancestor's name.

She was set to the path to greatness until that man took everything away from her. No one had ever told her that the Ring of Mimir would take her power away if someone removed it from her finger. The memory still ignited her anger and so did the heat of her spell increase, becoming like the midday sun in Sander's deadliest desert heat. Aisha had to break it, go back to where she truly was.

She opened her eyes again, welcomed by the same strangers she had journeyed with for months and the cold slowly returned to her senses, freezing her rage and the embers of her magic to their core. The night had no traces of the sun and the fire was slowly dying out.

Rena looked at her, silently asking if she was feeling better now. Aisha nodded and looked around her. Lu was sitting with her back against a tree, wrapped in a blanket next to Ciel who was slowly waking up again. Elsword was sleeping deeply, lying down over one of his blankets and using his bag as a pillow to support his head.

Lu also opened her eyes and looked at Ciel, whispering a question to his ear. He answered that they could still rest for four hours more. The girl nodded but did not close her eyes again. Instead she looked at Aisha and wondered if she was getting sick.

"No," the mage whispered. "I was just a bit cold."

It was strange for her to know that Lu seemed concerned for her after what she had said the other day. Now that the bratty kid was asleep, she could ask Lu straightforwardly about her strange actions.

"Lu…you're a strange one. Even for an elf. Between you and Rena I don't know how much of an elf you truly are. You understand what submitting a letter of resignation means without having ever worked yourself, the way you fought…" she sighed and shared her concerns about the way Lu injured grievously the bandits while leaving the rogue soldiers simply knocked out showed a kind of fast decision-making that no child could pull off.

As far as she knew, all of them would either hit with everything they had and tire themselves quicker, which was the case of Elsword, or simply hesitate way too much to ever injure a more experienced opponent. It was even more impressive that she had done so in the chaotic skirmish that the bandits' ambush had put them through at the time.

As she was explaining, Aisha noticed that Lu and Ciel seemed tense, as they suddenly straightened up from their sleep positions and Lu began to tap her knee with her two fingers. Something around her moved, and the young mage had to look twice to see a blue tail curl like a cobra ready to attack. Lu had a tail.

Aisha's eyes widened. "You…have a tail? What kind of monster are you?"

She struggled to keep her voice to a whisper, but the old Sanderian legends of tailed monsters were not the happiest ones. They all originated in the perpetrators of Behemoth's awakening more than ten generations ago.

Lu's surprise soon transformed into a frown that reflected her anger. "I'm the menacing monster now, huh? I have not done anything to prove that I am a foe, have I?"

Despite their childish timbre, Lu's usually nasally Elrian had now guttural r's, making them rougher and the vowels dryer. It was an accent Aisha could not pinpoint to any region she had been in. It made her squint her eyes at the completely different voice she was hearing.

This only made Lu's aggressiveness all the more visible. Her stare was cold and although she was whispering, her raspy voice only made her words seem to be soaked in menace. "Tell me, Aisha. Have I ever done anything against any of you? Has Ciel done anything?"

"Lu, calm down. We both knew these lies would not hold for long anyway."

Although Aisha expected the same strange accent to be noticeable in Ciel, his slightly nasal Elrian was kept intact, although Aisha began to notice the evenness of all his syllables. To her ears, it was closer to Lanox's Fluonian dialect. Or rather the accent those people carried with them in Elrian, especially when they did not learn it while they were children. Even Aisha had struggled to tone down her own Sanderian accent through her travels.

Lu scoffed and crossed her arms. "You're right, at this point we might as well wait for those two to ostracize us. _As per usual_."

"They haven't said anything, Lu. I know it's hard, but how about we trust them a little more?"

"Honesty brought us nothing but disaster, Ciel. You know it."

Lu's cynical tone was now watered down by regret and Aisha was too uncomfortable to say anything. In fact, everything her mind thought about now would perhaps make Lu's anger return and, unlike Elsword, Lu's anger could easily pose a threat to her and Rena. That much was as clear as day.

Rena sighed. "I knew what you are from the start, but I will answer your question. I will not kick you out of the group only because of the species you belong to. That said, I believe that is important that you tell the truth to everyone eventually."

Lu got up and walked towards Rena. "I will do so, Rena, at my own discretion."

The elf nodded. "We won't pressure you, right Aisha?"

Although she immediately nodded, Aisha did not completely agree with Rena's words. It was not easy to simply ignore the icy menaces that Lu's voice could hold, nor her heightened combat skills. To her eyes, she was the most likely person to violently retaliate against any of them if she was provoked in any way. Lu stared at her for a long moment, but she did not say a word and went back to rest.

It was hard for Aisha to get any rest after that conversation, she closed her eyes, but she would eventually find herself glancing at Lu, remembering the smile she had on her face after they had talked the other day. It was a sadistic smile and her lack of sleep only made the memory even more vivid and even distorted with her own fears.

Although her eyelids eventually closed themselves under the weight of fatigue, it was not long before she was awakened by Rena shaking her shoulder. Dawn was barely rising over the dense forest, but the elf was wide awake and worried. She hushed her to remain silent and made a sign to wake Elsword and follow her.

Seeing the elf suddenly take out her bow and use her blanket to choke the smoke of the campfire only made her fear for the worst. She walked over to where Elsword was sleeping and just when she put her hand over his shoulder, the sound of Ciel's gunfire echoed through the morning silence. It was loud enough to think that he was not far from there and it was loud enough to make Elsword rise up with fear, looking immediately for his sword and struggling to get it out of his bag.

"What's going on?!" he gasped as he looked at Aisha. She glanced around to look for Rena or Lu, but both of them were out of sight. The bushes that surrounded them began to rustle on their own and Aisha leaped for her shield and charged a fireball at one of them and watched the fire spread, but it did not consume more than half of the bush. Instead, the earth began to shake underneath them, and a golem-like creature rose from what had looked like a bush before. It was as tall as a bear standing over them.

"What in Behemoth's name is this?!" Aisha yelled as the other bushes slowly began to reveal equally imposing monsters. She continued to fire fireballs to the monsters, but the fire was no longer spreading. It was not stopping them their advance and the first golem was already close enough to swing its arm to crush her. Aisha lifted her shield to protect herself, but the strength of the hit still pushed her back, making her lose her balance. She managed to avoid hitting her head, but her free hand was stabbed by a sharp stone as she got up. Aisha needed her staff to fight those monsters, mainly to refill rapidly her mana. It was a sprint away from her, over the right.

Other golems were approaching, but they were still too slow to catch with her sprint. Once in her hand, she felt her mana fill up again and Elsword was slicing up the best he could the golem that she had previously set on fire. The golem raised his fist again, swinging it directly towards Elsword's head.

"Watch out!" she barked just in time for the boy to roll behind the golem. The impact of its fist left a small crater on the ground and Aisha could not be thankful enough to have her shield with her. While she was relieved to know that the brat had good reflexes, Aisha could not afford to watch over him any longer. The enemy around her was drawing closer, and although they were slow, they had enough strength to end their lives with one blow.

Elsword, on his end, was struggling to keep up with the number of enemies around him, but he somewhat trusted that Aisha would not let him die at the hands of those golems. The young knight had evaded a fatal blow, but the tremors that the hit had caused made it harder for him to get up.

The moment he could finally stand, the golem was already charging another punch at him. This time, he had enough time to step back, then left, using this small impulse to make his next hit strong enough to cut one of the golem's arms. He swung his sword, focusing all the strength on one slashing movement. His blade shone briefly as it cleaved its way through the monster, cutting in half a strange red gem they had carved on their forearm.

The hit had tired him somewhat, but he turned around to deal a less potent series of slashes against the enemy. Yet, the statue of mud and vegetation was crumbling as if it had been made of glass all along. He widened his eyes and immediately realized how they should fight.

The red-haired knight glanced at Aisha and saw her ignite the enemies from a distance, barely managing to slow them down. He saw something move from the corner of his eye and saw two other golems making their way towards him, a tad bit faster than the one he had defeated.

"Aisha! Hit the gem on their arm!" he yelled as he jumped out of the way of two other golems jogging towards him. Their punches were not as slow as before and, truthfully looked more like fast jabs.

If they had been any faster, that kind of hit would be unavoidable, but now that he knew where to aim, Elsword ran in zigzags, making feints to confuse the slow reactions of the enemies. Each time he came in-range of one of them, he made sure to swiftly give a blow to their weakness. However, this kind of endurance combat was not his forte. His breath grew heavier at each sprint and his legs would no longer change the direction of his course without feeling strained. He had barely practiced magic imbued attacks with his sword, but if he did not deal immediately with the two enemies in front of him, they would get him instead.

Elsword took a deep breath as he heard the roar of thunder behind him. Aisha could easily do it and so could he. She was smaller than him, after all. The swordsman felt his cheeks red and sweat drip from every inch of his body, but he still had to try. He rushed forwards, reminding himself that this was not different from practice. He would finally summon a flame geyser successfully, or else…death awaited.

This instinctive fear slowed everything around him. The golems were still moving, but now he was moving as slowly as them. They were about to strike, but he was feeling some kind of energy around him connect with him and flow through his sword. It was the sensation Lowe and other trainees often spoke about. Inch by inch, his weapon drew and closer to the ground, and once it touched it, the earth itself pushed all the energy he had felt flowing from him and his blade into a pillar of flames.

The monsters slowly melted within the heat and once the flames vanished, the ashes of the enemies were the only thing left of them.

The silence around him was surreal, he heard a ring cover the wind or other natural sounds that would have otherwise been normal in the forest. He exhaled and all the power he had felt before suddenly left his tired body, forcing him to his knees.

"Elsword!"

Aisha's voice seemed to be faraway, even if he could guess the shape of her shield from the corner of his eye. He had to hold himself together, he had to get up. The boy stabbed the ground with his blade and used it to get up, but his knees still felt weak. He felt dizzy and had to blink a couple of times for the sensation to go away.

"Dummy! You're using that much magic when you're not even a mage! Do you have a death wish?!"

He could not find the strength to tell her that it was precisely to avoid being killed that he finally succeeded in summoning a Flame Geyser for the first time. He looked at her and felt the earth spin around him again. He staggered, almost certain that he would faint again, but Aisha caught him and passed his arm around her shoulders so he could keep walking. She guided him so he could sit down over a tree bark and took out a green potion from her belongings.

"Drink this."

Elsword reached slowly for the potion and took a sip from it. It had a minty flavour, but it helped the ringing in his ears fade a bit away. He watched her take her belongings over her back and his on top of it. Truthfully, he never imagined that she would be able to carry that much when she was smaller than him.

"Where are the others?" he asked.

"Rena went south, but who knows where the other two are."

"Other two..?"

The mage sighed. "Lu and Ciel, who else?"

Elsword frowned. He did know that Lu and Ciel were there, but just saying that there was no one else in their group felt old. "Wasn't there someone else?"

Aisha squinted at him. "You're probably still groggy from abusing your mana circuits, Elsword. There's nobody else. We're leaving now to meet with Rena. Finish up the potion and get up."

He hated to hear her calling the shots with her squeaky nasal accent, but he had no better plan. Staying here on their own would be dangerous and they had no food. He drank the remaining half of the minty potion and felt strong enough to stand without much help. Although his hands and feet felt a bit numb, he managed to keep Aisha's pace.

"Thank you, for the potion." he said as they walked through a beaten earth path.

The mage did not bother to look back at him, but a small smile curled her lips for a brief second. "No problem. But that was my last potion so do not ever act like a mage when you're not one."

Elsword noticed something strange in the distance, made of stone. He did not remember old Wilma's farm to be made of stone, but they could certainly ask for directions when they reached that farm. There seemed to be people already gathered around.

Aisha was the first to identify who the people were and called them by their names.

"Rena! Ciel! Ain!"

The three adults turned around, but they still could not see them. The vegetation was still too dense around them.

"Aisha? Is Elsword with you?" Rena asked.

"I'm here, Rena!" Elsword yelled, but his voice was a bit hoarse from the fatigue of the battle.

Once the two kids stepped out of the forest, their relief to see the rest of their group was short-lived. They had not made it to a farm, but to some ruins Elsword had never seen before. He froze in place and asked Ciel for his map. To him, it was impossible. The distance Aisha and he had walked for would have put them close to Wilma's farm, not to these ruins.

"What is this place?" the young knight muttered.

"I am not sure either, but the golems defending it are feisty fellows." Ain replied with a small frown on his forehead, pointing at his bandaged arm. He had some minor scratches over his robes that revealed traces of dried blood. Ciel, Lu and Rena had also sustained cuts and bruises, but thankfully no broken limbs, unlike Ain.

"Rena, what happened this morning?" Aisha asked, even more puzzled than Elsword.

The elf sighed. "It's a long story…"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Luckily, I was left with enough energy after the mid-terms to focus on this fic the past two weeks. What better way to celebrate getting over 600+ views _and_ mid-terms than posting chapter six? I'm very thankful as always for everyone that reads this, the follows, the favourites and, of course, the reviews. A special thanks to my three proofreaders. Hopefully, I will update once more next month. **

**Until then!**

 **~Kalafinn**

* * *

Ainchase had to focus part of his celestial influence to convince every person around him that he had never left them during the night until an hour before the first signs of dawn. It was not a difficult task, but if he did it too often, he'd limit his ability to sustain his human appearance. If the forest spirits were not cursing the forest to slow their chase, the priest might have chosen to leave the group entirely.

That decision was simply not convenient at the moment. His arm was being bandaged by Rena, while the two demons were still on guard, looking out for golems or other stones thrown their way.

The demoness's servant briefly glanced at her and told her to take something to cover a bleeding cut that a Phoru had left on her left leg. The priest quickly noticed that Ciel was speaking in his native Fluonian dialect, but the most impressive detail was hearing the demon speak with the same rough accent she had addressed him with in Noah's Lake months ago.

"It's not even bleeding anymore, Ciel. And we can't have only one person fighting these things off. Look what they did to the priest before we got here."

Rena did not seem surprised as she finished immobilizing his right arm. She took a piece of his torn sleeves to keep his forearm clamped and close to his torso. After thanking her, he could not help but notice the elven woman was not saying a thing about Ciel's and Lu's Fluonian, and in particular, Lu's accent. She perhaps did not understand it, as it was a language that mixed old native dialects with ancient Elrian or perhaps she did not care. Yet that conclusion was odd, considering the elf always kept a close watch on the children around her. Lu, so far, was no exception.

"Miss Elf…Did something happen to, uhm, the little elf? She sounds very different."

"She's not a little elf, Ain."

The priest widened his eyes not so much at the revelation of the demoness's true nature, but at the dry matter-of-factness of Rena's reply. He opened his mouth to get the elf on his side, but she only briefly shook her head, as if to decline Ishmael's unwritten and absolute laws. Rena got up and began to walk to the south, telling everyone that they had to find Aisha and Elsword before mid-day.

"Is there something going on in this place?" Ciel wondered and Rena's tense glance did not comfort him in the slightest.

"We are in a sacred place." The elven scout explained, shaping small swirls of green leaves as if she could control the wind itself.

Had he existed a few centuries before his mission began, he would have known everything Rena was explaining as the leaves fluttered around her in a never-ending spiral. Chaotic and graceful, the spirits were giving their energy to Rena and some of the leaves began to glow, slowing their dance to hover and control the flux of energy Rena gathered.

Ain could only feel a faint trace of El around the vine-covered columns that still stood around them. The control over nature Rena was displaying as she explained the secrecy of these shattered havens was all the proof he needed.

It was the Force only a few elves were capable of summoning; the Nature's Force was present all around Elrios, but only shone at its brightest in places like this. Ain paid close attention to the spiritual magic the elf was summoning. It was far inferior in power to his own, as expected, but it was very different from the incantations of priestesses or even the El Lady.

" _Tuama ársa, Doirtim mo fhuil i do spiorad chomh an a tairiscint ceann do do nádúr naofa. Lig maiteach na foghlaí, mar go nglanfaidh mé an tcúis a mhúscai do mhallacht. Geallaim é ar ainm Erendil._ "

The lights stopped the spiral, making the wind and leaves that were swaying Rena's hair freeze mid-air. The elf mumbled an order in elven and slowly extended her right arm towards the sky as she took a step towards the same direction, spinning until she faced the north; her slow movements replicated the controlled spiral she had once made the spirits dance around her.

The leaves and light left into a spinning pillar that soon split into three smaller ones. All of them left a gust of wind behind. Then, a booming sound made birds flee from their nests and the earth shook slightly under their feet. Lu and Ciel instinctively held their weapons closer to themselves, waiting for another wave of golems to rise. As for Ain, he was intrigued by the flow of spiritual essence between the force that observed them and Rena. They had forged a bond, but it seemed too weak to be permanent.

Although he supposed that elves were naturally apt to bind themselves in that way to nature and the El itself, Ainchase could not help but feel that the entity in these ruins had done something it should not have as its contract with Rena was forged. If birds, or any kind of animal, fled from the acts of forest spirit, it was very likely the spirit had gone rogue.

"No need to worry, guys." Rena reassured them with a smile that was betrayed by the way her eyes darted around uneasily. Ainchase squinted around the area to his right, the one where Rena was looking out for the most. There was a huge source of mana circling around the northern side of the ruins. If it had not compromised his mission, Ainchase would have analyzed that area closely with the heightened perception of his spiritual form.

"You do not sound reassuring, Rena. I'm no fool, and neither is Ciel, nor that priest. Anyone with an ounce of magical aptitude can feel that menacing presence up north." The demoness said as she pointed towards the northern buildings Ain had been staring at.

Ainchase took a deep breath and looked back at Rena. "As I've told you, a change in the El around here woke me up earlier. I supposed it was The Plague, but now I am fairly certain that this place is the heart of it. Should we prepare for another attack?"

"We're not currently in danger, I just want to make sure Elsword and Aisha can get here so we can be sure they're safe and sound as well."

Rena's voice was tense, but the elf was not willing to say anything more about the spirit that haunted the citadel. The priest nodded and tried to get to the same point through a different angle.

"Miss Elf, is it because of the nature of this citadel that you fear Elsword nor Aisha might not be able to find it?"

Rena nodded. "The spirits lead us right into this forgotten maze, but we have no guarantee they'd let Aisha and Elsword find their way here."

Lu huffed. "Simple, but smart; they trap the best fighters in a hidden part of the forest to deal with the weakest first. But as an elf, Rena, you must know a way around this. All that ritual was not for show, was it?"

"I don't know where to find the key to get us out, but I forged a new entrance for those two to find. If Aisha remembers exactly the direction I took this morning, they should find it."

"I don't want to sound like the party-pooper here, but if they find us, we'd be all trapped here with no way out. Maybe not for long, but we have no food in our belongings. Isn't there a way to simply get out through brute force, Rena?" Ciel wondered as he took some of his torn sleeves to cover a cut over his right forearm. Tying the knot stung and the crimson dampness that began to spread over it made the depth of his injury clear as day.

"This is a sacred place, Ciel. It's being protected as such, gobshite."

It was unusual for Rena to sound tense, but this was the very first time anyone could distinctly hear anger in her voice; it was not the maternal, scolding anger she sometimes displayed towards Elsword and Aisha. It was the sudden heat of a blaze, the bright and sharpened edge of a sword.

The priest only regretted that the goddess had not deemed any deep knowledge of forest elves as important to modern history as the fall of dark elves nor the rise of other monster tribes all around Elrios. Beyond their appearance and the consequences of The Banishment, Ainchase did not know much more. It was useless to know where the Dark Elves lived or their empire if he could not find a way around Rena's idiocy to keep a promise with a rogue spirit.

If lowly Phorus dared to trick a celestial, Ainchase was certain that the powerful spirit around this place would never listen to the orders of an agent of Ishmael.

One thing was fighting in his human form, where he risked little; but in order to force a spirit into submission, he would have to risk a lot of his own energy and reveal his identity to the mortals around him. That was a deadly sin against his goddess. Yet, if he decided to do nothing, he would delay his mission even further. However, those options could not be seriously considered yet.

After all, the goddess's servant would not allow the elf to place her insignificant mortal values higher than the direct will of the goddess that created everything. By ignoring Ishmael's will, this world would turn to chaos and none of the mortals' beliefs would hold any value.

"Miss Elf, the other elf is right about our resources and I believe the Phorus are known to sometimes dip their claws in a poisonous mix of herbs. At least in the local legends. I understand that we must all respect the sanctity of any place, but it won't be good to-"

"I have a name, Ain. Just like you."

The priest frowned at her. "You do, Miss Rena. I am sorry my politeness has put you more on the edge. But, as a priest myself, I am worried first and foremost about the safety of the living around me before the wellbeing of the spiritual world."

Lu nodded, "This time our thoughts coincide, _Mr. Priest_. Rena, I can understand this place is really important for you, but Ciel and Ain are injured. Plus, I am not sure how the two brats would fare for more than a day without food or water."

The priest glanced at the demon and nodded before looking again at Rena. "That is also a fair point. I do not think it would be wise for both of them to live through hunger if they're injured as well; which is very likely, as I'm sure you know."

He looked at the damp cloth wrapped around Ciel's forearm, it had visibly not stopped bleeding for the past ten minutes and Rena immediately turned her attention towards him. Unwrapping the wound let out the faint and penetrating smell of Snakehead, a toxic mushroom that, while it was not lethal, could make anyone bedridden for days.

"How are you feeling, Ciel?" Rena asked as she began to use the Nature Force around her to extract the toxins out of the wound.

The man shrugged. "I've lived through worse. Poison is not that much of a problem for me."

"I see, but I really do not want to risk anything in this kind of place if I can help it. Ain and Lu are right, in a way. Finding resources around here will be tough."

The half-demon watched in awe as Rena's green magic began to close his wound faster than any other healer mage had been able to close his injuries in the past. After a couple of minutes, it was only a minor scratch on his arm. Rena let out a long sigh and although she forced herself to smile at her successful healing, the anxious glimmer in her eyes was not yet gone.

"I still have six health potions with me. It's not as tasty as food, but it will do until I find it."

"Find what? The key you mentioned before? Then could you be so kind to explain to us what that key is like?" Lu blurted out, her arms crossed around her chest, squinting at the elf, but Rena did not reply, merely contenting herself to briefly scowl at her.

The demon sighed, accepting that her harsh questioning would not get her any answers. "Rena, could you at least tell us why you're so anxious around this place?"

Ain closed his eyes and took a deep breath, while he could still very much feel that a spirit was watching them, he could not yet pinpoint where exactly it was. Its rogue aura seemed to pollute the whole ruins up north, knocking on an invisible boundary, trying to get closer to them.

"You wouldn't under-"

"Rena! Ciel! Ain!" Aisha's voice chimed in the distance. Rena's worry was soon replaced by a warm smile as she called back the mage, asking about Elsword.

'At least the beast kept that promise…' Ain thought. 'Goddess Ishmael, may this forest be guided again into your light. I will soon bring the El to the forest, even if I must do it alone.'

Ainchase did not expect a reply, but he felt that his short prayer had reached a destination. That made him retrieve a tranquil smile, although it was short-lived. The threat that was watching them felt more hostile, as if he was prey barely out of its grasp.

It had heard his prayers and took it as a reason to make him feel more of its power. That changed a lot of things he had to consider if he ever decided to tackle the beast on his own through brute force. There was little doubt on his mind that the beast was an ancient spirit.

No matter how much the elf tried to reassure them, the priest was gathering more and more reasons to subdue the rogue spirit or perhaps even force it to be reborn. The second option held much more risk now that he knew it was almost as powerful as a celestial in its own territory.

Ainchase scoffed at his own thoughts. He pretended to be a priest, but he was created with the instincts of a warrior. He had fought in the name of Ishmael before he was put inside that cage, after all. But the fight took too long that time, he could not reach the El in time before the catastrophe.

If the beast won...no, the beast would not win. He was not weak as mortals were, he would not die as long as Ishmael existed, as long as she had a mission for him. The rustle of the bushes to his right caught his attention and was distracting enough for him to toss what little doubt he had out of his mind.

The kids stepped out of the dense forest around them and Ain smiled at them, although he immediately noticed the fear in Aisha's eyes and the confusion in Elsword's gaze.

"What is this place?" the young knight muttered.

"I am not sure either, but the golems defending it are feisty fellows." Ain replied, pointing at his bandaged arm. He had some minor scratches over his robes that revealed traces of dried blood. Ciel, Lu and Rena had also sustained cuts and bruises, but thankfully no broken limbs, unlike Ain.

"Rena, what happened this morning?" Aisha asked, even more puzzled than Elsword.

The elf sighed. "It's a long story…"

"On the contrary, Miss Elf, it's a rather simple one." Ain immediately retorted.

"Ain! Did you get lost last night? We didn't see you around!" The young knight exclaimed, as if he had only noticed him now. That was not exactly a good sign, but Ainchase could not feel any change in the level of his energy. He could keep his human form perfectly, along with its weaknesses and his injured arm was the only proof he needed of this.

The priest chuckled. "It's nothing like that, Elsword. I was with you last night, remember?"

Aisha squinted at him, but finally even she fell to the same mental manipulation he conjured to empower his voice through divine magic.

"Oh, right. I remember. You were tired and slept before anyone else." The knight repeated. "Is your arm ok?"

Ainchase nodded. "Rena has taken care of it, so don't worry about it. We might not have any food left, sadly. Nor any water for that matter. Unless we find a way out of here, but that depends on Miss Elf's goodwill."

The mage frowned at the elf. "What's that supposed to mean, Rena?"

"Is it because of The Plague?" Elsword frowned. Ainchase could tell he was struggling to keep his balance and before he could accidentally drag Aisha to the ground with him, the mage used her magic to gently lay him down.

Rena clenched her hands into fists as both Ain and Lu glanced at her, reminding her of the consequences of her decision.

"Aisha," the elf calmly began. "what happened to Elsword?"

The mage sighed. "He unleashed an amount of magic he should not have. I'm impressed he hasn't passed out. But this place is giving me the creeps, that's for sure. Feels worse than the curse of Tutmet's tomb."

"A curse, huh?"

"Yes, dummy, these ruins are cursed with powerful magic and you were dumb enough to become deadweight to us. More than usual, that is."

Ainchase expected the knight to argue with the mage, but he simply closed his eyes. "I know that, shorty. I can't be like big sis…"

He turned around and remained silent, but Aisha did not take his reply with the smug smile she would usually adorn on her victories over her arguments with him. She muttered something in her native language and joined the rest of the group with a renewed drive in her gaze.

"Rena, I'm not asking this again. Why is this place reeking of malicious magic?"

"It's a sacred place, Aisha. It is not cursed, nor does it have any malicious intent. It's being protected."

Lu frowned and began to envelop herself in demonic magic, getting taller by the second as the aura of her power increased. Her cute blue dress covered itself in smoke that transformed into a simple yet elegant blue robe that covered even her feet. Its smokey ends gave the illusion that she could float above the ground.

A small crown of black-steel crosses appeared over her head as flames engulfed the tip of her horns. Elsword glanced at her unexpected transformation and widened his eyes as he saw a pair of horns and a tail become more and more visible on Lu.

"I've had enough of your secrecy, Rena." The demoness hissed. "If you can't break the thing that is cursing this place, I'll take that matter in my own hands. I won't let you endanger Ciel's life. Nor Elsword's life, for that matter."

Ciel groaned in pain and Lu glanced worriedly at him before returning to her childish appearance. She rushed to his side and retrieved a purple potion from her belongings, giving it to her servant. Ciel calmed after a few sips, although his face was still pale.

Aisha and Elsword stared at Lu, with their eyes widened like ED coins.

"Dear El…she's one of those." Aisha muttered.

"Lu…what are you?" the knight mouthed.

Ainchase scoffed. "My, and here I thought I would call you little elf for a little longer. You finally show your true colors, demon."

Aisha tilted her head. "How did you know beforehand, Ain?"

"I would be a failure of a priest if I could not tell apart a demon and an elf at first sight, Miss Wizard."

While Lu had remained silent looking after Ciel, she finally spoke again, facing the group she had travelled with until this day. "Yes, I am a demon. I will be the demon that gets us out of here." She glanced at Ain. "Despite what this priest will tell you, I wish you no harm. I'll be on my way to undo the trap we got ourselves into with or without your help."

She began walking to the source of the curse, but just as she was getting into the heart of the ruins, Rena clicked her tongue and rushed towards her. "Lu! Don't go that way!"

Aisha looked at Ciel. "If she's a demon, Ciel...are you possessed or something?"

The gunman finished his potion and took a deep breath. "She saved my life."

The mage squinted at Ciel and crossed her arms, sitting down in front of him. "That's ridicu–"

The half-demon cut her words short and told her that Lu had more than enough reasons to be kind and do everything she could to help them. Ainchase could not help but sigh at the blindness of the half-demon, although he knew that servants like him would never betray their masters.

"She saved your life, yet her powers put you through pain. Is there really such a thing as a kind and compassionate demon? I wonder."

The gunman furrowed his eyebrows but did not say anything. Instead, he got up and followed after Lu and Rena. Once he was gone, Elsword sat down and looked at Ain.

"You trust Lu, don't you, Ain?"

"Elsword, demons bite the hand that feeds them. Trusting them is never a good move."

Aisha nodded but instead of accepting his words like he often used to, Elsword shook his head and frowned at him. "Ain, Lu has done nothing against us! You can't judge her based on what other demons are like."

"Elsword, would you say that of a serpent? Just because you capture one, it doesn't mean it won't try to choke you in your sleep." Aisha chimed in.

"Aisha, animals are not like people! If I judged elves based on the myths I've heard as a kid, I would never trust Rena. But she is a nice person, just like Lu. Sure, both are scary when they're angry, but–!"

The priest frowned at the young knight. "Elsword, demons were the ones that tried to get to the El before the traitorous captain. That is not a myth. Lowe told you so, didn't he?"

Elsword frowned at both of them and took his sword as a cane to get up. Even if Aisha warned him to stay down, the boy did not listen to her. "I'll trust Lu until I have a reason not to."

He was about to lose his footing over a tree's root and Aisha quickly caught him. "Let me go! I'm fine."

Ainchase was confused at Elsword's stubbornness towards a common enemy for humans and Ishmael alike. He just discovered that the demoness had lied to him and the rest of the group from the beginning and yet he still chose to trust the enemy. Mortals like him were reckless, perhaps even too dumb for their own good. Yet, Elsword had inherited an affinity with the El, a gift from Ishmael.

He could not understand why the goddess entrusted a mortal with such a talent, but it would be unwise to let someone that was graced by Ishmael be harmed in any way.

"Elsword," he began. "You're right, it's unfair to consider that this demon is as heartless as the others. But all three of us are injured and frankly tired. It would not be wise to follow the others right now, would it?"

While Aisha rolled her eyes at the obvious lie, Elsword's closeness to the El often played in Ainchase's favour. The knight stopped struggling against Aisha's control and nodded, dragging himself back to the place he was laying on before. She sat over a fallen pillar of grey stone, taking her shield and staff with her.

The mage let out a long sigh. "I guess I'll have to guard the wounded until the others come back."


	7. Chapter 7

**My, it feels like it has been ages since I last worked on this fic. Although it feels good to be back, finals drained me so much I could not write a word for days. Now that I will be on vacations, I plan on keeping my usual monthly(ish) update! I hope you continue to enjoy this fic and thanks to all of those who have read it, followed it or faved it! You guys never fail to make my day and inspire me!**

 **See you in June :)**

 **~Kalafinn**

* * *

Luciela led the way to the source of the magic that had trapped them in the ruins of what looked to be a city. Even if nature had regained its rights over the remaining columns, there were spots of the road they walked on that were perfectly intact, only suffering from the erosion that covered the once white stone with a worn beige, tone. The demoness looked at the symbols that repeated themselves over the road they were walking on. It was as if it were the hall of some mansion instead of a street. The trees that almost aligned perfectly to the end of the destroyed buildings only made the illusion feel real. It was similar to the temples of Resiam and their endless halls that lead to the underground crypts.

Even if they were out in the open, the ruins felt as if they would close in on them at any moment. Luciela turned back, seeing that Ciel was catching up to her and Rena. The elven ranger did not seem disturbed by the weird invasion of nature around the ruins, but the her gaze was only focused on Luciela. It was as if Rena feared that the demon countess would destroy everything around her.

The demoness did feel increasingly trapped in these odd ruins, but not to the point of wanting to break a path for herself just yet. The next step she took was a few inches short and the demon lost her balance over the root of a tree. Although she quickly got up, the demoness was impressed of the reach of the trees' roots. The nearest one was at least two blocks away from them. She dusted her skirt off and continued her path. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Rena was now walking by her side.

"What is it, Rena?" the demoness asked, looking closely at the patterns on the road. It did not remind her of anything she had seen before. Not even in Resiam, the cradle of the Empire of Dark Elves that once ruled over most of Fluone, had the demoness seen such strange patterns.

"It's better if we stayed grouped from now on. Ciel, please get closer. The last thing we want is to get separated."

Lu heard the steps of her servant hurriedly rush towards them until he was at Lu's side. There were no more signs of nature where they were stepping on. Reassured by this, the demoness turned her head towards Rena to ask her where the key was, but she did not have the time to do so when shadows suddenly appeared from the shattered homes to their right.

The group instinctively stepped back, barely evading a rain of small boulders from hitting their heads. Ciel was the first one to shoot the blue bags that signaled the presence of Phorus around them. Most of the spirits hid in time behind the wall again, but Ciel's bullets pierced one right through the head.

Lu poured some of her own mana onto her gauntlets, making them grow in size and weight, trying to rely on Ciel less. Rena side-stepped another boulder, firing two arrows as she stood back up, two steps away from Lu.

"Lu! Heads up!" the elven scout shouted, making Lu turn around in time to crush a boulder aimed to her head into pieces. However, the fragments of stone that flew around her were pulled by some strange force, making them land in oddly specific places, tracing the main circle of the symbol engraved on the ground.

' _Oh, for Sult's sake!'_ Lu mentally cursed as the ground beneath them began to tilt into an underground level. She looked to jump right away, but another wave of boulders forced her to zigzag out of their way. Those rocks were enchanted by some spell that reacted to the ruins if they were destroyed.

For some lowly prankster spirits, they held too much power in the forest. Lu lost sight of Rena and Ciel as she evaded the third round of boulders. These were much smaller than the first two waves but came in faster intervals. They could easily knock her out if they ever landed on her head. Once she was about to pivot out of the tilting ground, something grabbed her by the ankle, locking her in place as the fragment of the road became completely smooth.

The demoness glanced down and saw her feet tangled in tree roots. She heard Ciel's weapon fire and Rena telling her to jump now. There was nothing to grab herself onto and the boulders the Phorus had thrown before had slid down to an unwelcoming pit five feet under her current position. Lu breathed in and cut the roots that tied her to the trap, using the same spinning motion to charge her gauntlets with mana and push herself up in the air.

"Rail Stinger!"

Lu saw a giant arrow break through the wall the ambush had originated from. Then, an unseen blunt object hit her from behind, knocking her into a daze. She felt the impulse of her enhanced jump fade out. From the green leaves and clear sky, she began to see more yellow and grey; the wind was pushing her skirt upwards. The silhouette of a square hole made her realize she was crashing right in the pit of the trap.

The Demon Countess clenched her gigantic gauntlet into a fist, diving first with it to crush all the rocks, as if she was about to stomp over them. She fell into a dark chamber, feeling the force of her landing shake her bones. There was something dripping from her head and her ears were ringing horribly. The sun above was too bright and she quickly had to look back down, feeling an increasing headache try to hammer her consciousness out.

Lu blinked a couple of times, hoping to get her sight completely back. It would be disgraceful for a demon of her rank to fall so easily to simple traps. She had been fooled once, but she swore on her life that no one would ever fool her twice. Her sight was still too blurry to see exactly where she was, but she remembered carrying a small bag with her. Lu sighed with relief as she felt her bag still hanging on one of her shoulders. She crumbled to her knees and clumsily looked for the three small red flasks she carried with her. Her fingers were shaking way too much, but she managed to pick one flask, pull out the cork with her teeth and drink the bitter red liquid inside.

She frowned at the horrible taste it left in her mouth, but soon she saw the effects of the potion on her. She was seeing clearly again and the ringing had toned down to a minor buzz. She could just barely make out the bang of Ciel's weapon, as if she was underwater. The demoness glanced back up. She could try to jump back out, but there was no guarantee another hail of rocks would knock her out for good.

Lu cleaved a grip onto the tilted rock to climb out, but the moment she had a solid grip on it, the wall turned slowly into sand.

"Ciel! Rena!" Lu hollered as loudly as she could, slowly recovering her hearing.

"Lu! Get out now! We're being surrounded!" Rena replied before a gust of wind howled right above the entrance of the trap.

Luciela glanced around her, seeing only a straight corridor that split into three other halls on each end. A flash of blue light consumed the scenery above for a moment as she felt that Ciel was using her mana to power his own attacks. Though the light let her see the end of the corridor, the silhouette of an elven woman slowly walking towards her pushed Lu to jump once more out of the trap with her gauntlets. Whoever that woman was, she reeked of magic; facing her right now would only result in more injuries at best and a swift death at worst.

Once she was up in the air, she saw the desperate situation they were all in. While the Phorus had apparently been dealt with, an increasing number of golems were gathering around them. Lu dove onto the ground again with her gauntlets first to crush the three golems that stood on her way. The hit crushed the back of the puppets , and it left the jewel that destroyed them in an easy spot for the demoness to slice up in a single motion.

Fighting with Ciel had gotten increasingly easier, a sign that he had grown used to their pact. They barely had to talk with one another to coordinate an attack with their respective weapons. Ciel was at his limit, borrowing power from her as he had already run out of ammunition. More golems charged at them, moving surprisingly fast for their big and clumsy appearance. With a glance at one another, Ciel dashed to where Lu was while she leaped once more above the ground to deal with the golems who were too close for Ciel to deal with his firearms.

Lu charged her gauntlets with demonic energy. The sharp claws began to shine with the heat of demonic fire; each attacked cleaved through the dry mud of her opponents like butter, leaving a trail of demonic flames behind each attack. While it was not ideal to deal with golems in one shot, it stopped them from reshaping themselves. The one place that they needed to be hit was their arm, near the mushroom head that seemed to serve them as an elbow. The demoness closed her grip onto the golem, cracking the surface of its shell. It did not take more for the puppet to swing a punch at her, but while it was unavoidable for a human, Lu could duck it in time. Then, she crushed the mushroom head, and everything around it began to crumble.

Then, the slow decay into a pile of dirt stopped at the puppet's shoulder. She barely had the time to process what had happened before the golem used its feet to sweep her off the ground. The weak point had moved. The arm she turned to dust grew back in the blink of an eye and the golem's legs morphed into a pile of mud to completely immobilize her in place, with her back against the floor.

"Triple Shot!"

A series of magically enhanced bullets disintegrated the arms of the golem and left a hole right through the golem's face, where the red stone rolled down. Without letting it fall to the ground, Lu swung her right fist, breaking the gem to pieces. The golem turned slowly into dust, allowing her to break free and be back on her feet, only to see the golems attacking Ciel recover from their injuries as fast as the previous one.

Knowing where to hit next, Lu rushed in, swiping the faces of the golems right off, only to find nothing but dirt. She frowned and stepped back. Besides those three, their path was free from there. Rena, on the other side of the street, was not doing so well. Her agile steps and quickness to taut her bow could barely keep up with the relentless blows of her enemies. The two demons glanced at each other, and while Ciel shot a few more mana bullets to slow down the golems nearby, Lu dashed in as fast as she could, readying a strong hit with her flaming gauntlets.

With her right fist clenched, she slid on the street as she pivoted to deliver a swooping punch to all three golems that were after Rena. Everything but their feet got blasted into smaller rocks, unveiling the red stones. One was on the knee, another one on the left hand and another one where their stomach was once. Rena fired a series of arrows a few seconds later, but the stones shone brightly, and the armour covered them again, absorbing the mana arrows the elf had just fired. This time, the arms of the nature colossus formed differently, as if they tried to imitate the claws of Lu's gauntlets.

One leaped into the air as it charged with its right fist directly above them while the others zigzagged around them with their claws ready to cleave the two women's flesh. Rena was panting, but she still could evade the hits from being fatal. Lu followed her movements and the group backed from the abandoned street, getting closer to each other.

"There's only five left. Do you think we can handle it?" Rena asked.

"I know where the stones of those three are. Ciel, what about the other two?" Lu promptly replied, charging her fist again with demonic flames, only to notice that their glow was growing dimmer. Even she was running out of mana. Rena took out a mana flask from her side-pocket and quickly emptied it while Ciel fired his last mana bullets.

The golems stopped as they heard the empty click of Ciel's weapon. Lu was not reckless enough to charge in and instead took out two mana flasks for her and her servant. Just as they gulped their first sip, the sound of wood creaking all around them made them step back even further. A quick gaze to the trees that were so aligned with the end of that part of the town showed them that more than a hall. The trees were rows of knights.

Knights that would use their roots and branches as swords just as feet or hands to crush them to pieces. The road cracked under the endless chains of roots that served as bridges for the golems while destabilizing the group's stance on the solid ground. This fight was no longer winnable as they were only three against at least twenty trees and five golems that had begun to mold their arms to match Ciel's gunblades. They fired bullets of stone and wood, injuring Rena's arm, grazing Lu's cheek, and barely missing Ciel.

The air around Rena began to distort itself and, despite the pain in her arm, she aimed once more at the increasing number of foes in front of them. Instead of an arrow, however, the elf summoned a storm, a pillar of wind that lifted the roots up from the ground, pushing the golems and their bridge back.

"Let's go!" The elf hollered before running back where they had come from. Lu was quick to follow her and so did Ciel. However, the strain on Rena's muscles did not let her step out of the way of a root that twisted her ankle. She fell with a groan of pain, forcing Ciel to slide over the road that was still stable, using the force of Rena's storm to enhance the momentum of his sliding kick. It was enough to make the root hide back underground. He got up and continued running while Lu made her gauntlets big enough to scoop Rena up on them and continue to retreat as they felt the wind of Rena's spell grow quieter, calmer.

* * *

The afternoon sun was losing a bit of its heat to a herd of clouds when Ain heard the rushed steps of a sprint echo through the north, right where the other three had gone earlier today. Aisha took her eyes off her book and glanced at the same spot. The first person they saw was Ciel, who slowed to a stop, gasping for air and holding himself with his weapons.

Ishmael's servant got up and took a closer look at the corner where Ciel had stopped to catch his breath. Aisha was shocked to see Rena suddenly appear high above the sky, as if she had been thrown by someone. Ciel glanced up and leapt at least five meters above ground level to gently catch the elf. He then laid her on the floor and shortly crumbled himself.

A shining blue light caught everyone's attention and even Elsword stood up to see an orb of blue flames travel all the way through the street until it was nothing but a small star on the horizon.

Ainchase walked towards the elf first and saw that her left foot was twisted into an impossible angle. Her breaths were short, probably because she struggled to keep herself from screaming.

"Ain…Lu is still holding them off. Tell Aisha."

The priest squinted at her but nodded. Yet, he chose to head down the path they were all escaping from. His eyes focused on the demon's figure standing in front of the ashen land its attack had created. Judging from the up and down movement of her shoulders, Ainchase thought she was exhausted. She had scars of bullets over her shoulders and back, which were steadily bleeding.

He formed a dagger of creation magic. It was all it would take. The demon had to be gone once and for all, or else it would corrupt and destroy more. His objective turned immediately around; her dress left a trace of smoke as she spun towards him. Her glance was filled with disgust as if she had already seen the concealed dagger in his hand. He closed his grip on it and made it slowly grow into a sword.

She was about to charge another sphere of power, but her head tilted to the side, her blue eyes looked up before closing themselves. Surprisingly, Elsword rushed in first, calling Lu's name as he ventured down the burnt ruins. Ainchase was about to follow him, but Aisha pulled him back with surprising strength. She did not look like much, but she was quite strong.

"Stay right there. No injured men will go in that inferno. I'll teleport both of them back." She harshly said and vanished in the blink of an eye. The priest looked back at Rena and knelt to her side, taking out a health potion from his belongings. Although her twisted ankle was the most visible injury on her at first glance, seeing a bullet injury on her left shoulder and multiple bruises over her arms and legs made him certain that the Golems that attacked him earlier that morning had grown even stronger.

"Can you sit, Miss Elf?" he coldly asked, to which Rena replied by faintly shaking her head.

"Very well. Mind my clumsiness."

The priest first took out the cork of the potion before leaving it on Rena's right hand, which she clenched weakly. He then did his best to lift her back up so she could sit to drink the potion he left with her. Once the elf had finished the content of the flask, Ain thought it would be a good opportunity to make the elf reconsider her opinion about the two demons. Perhaps just a bit of his power would do the trick.

"Say, Miss Rena. That injury on your arm. It was the half-demon's doing, wasn't it?"

She squinted at him, confused under the effect of his power, but she finally shook her head. "No. It was the golems. They imitated Ciel's guns with their arms."

The priest nodded, unwilling to insist with a greater amount of his power. He looked back at where they had settled, Aisha had used her magic to lay down both Ciel and Lu before taking out bandages and other potions to tend to Lu's wounds. Rena, on the other hand, glanced back at the burnt street and her eyes began to tear up.

"Who…who dared?" she quietly asked.

Ain could not help to smirk briefly at the strange turn of events. "It was the Demon, Miss Elf. She unleashed her power over it, burning trees and turning most buildings to ashes."

Rena frowned and got up, hissing some words in elven before walking back to the camp they had settled while they had been separated. Her wounds were no longer bleeding and her ankle, though bruised, was back to its normal position. Elsword helped Aisha by passing her different flasks or cutting measures of bandages, but Rena sat down next to the fire without saying a word. Her green eyes stared at the flames with anger before relaxing into her usual smile when Elsword looked at her.

Ain smiled victoriously.

Now, those demons were one step closer from getting completely eliminated. Convincing Elsword was the easiest part of it. He was certain that after one more push, Rena would be glad to have those foul creatures gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Banthus watched the silhouette of a hooded elf examine his family's pendant with a glimmer of excitement in her glowing purple eyes. Even if he could feel her breath, he could not see much more than her shadow and her gaze. The only torch on the stone room he found himself in was a wavering light at the exit of the room. His limbs were tied by solid tree roots that made their way through the ceiling and whose shadows lost themselves into the darkest part. It was there that he forcibly knelt with two of his strongest men. Though his blue eyes tried to hide his fear, he felt drops of cold sweat roll down his neck.

The Phorus had promised them a safe passage, but here they were, dragged into a trap and tied down in front of an elf that looked to be anything but sane. With only a whisper, their weapons were gone, and less than a blink of an eye later, they were tied down like prisoners of a dark stone chamber. The former leader of the El Search Party hoped that not much time has passed since they were in this cave.

He vaguely remembered that tree branches had hit them, and that the next thing he knew was that his loyal lieutenants and himself were underground. The El Shard was probably still in the carriage. It had to be. Then again, forest elves were territorial creatures that hated humans. It would not be too much of a stretch to think that the woman in front of them had taken it from the carriage.

"Your ancestors stole this from elves, humans. Your kind actually managed to get to us!" the purple-eyed elf giggled. "You have no idea how much I've waited for you to come here! I took care of everyone so you could take me to see the world!"

Right after she let out a playful chuckle, the white smile on her face vanished, and she blew over the tip of her index, forming crystal-like claws over her nails. "I waited too much, now that I think about it."

She admired her work with a satisfied smile like women would admire their manicure. Her mauve eyes glared at the soldier to Banthus's right, and she spun her wrist so the palm of her hand was no longer facing them.

An instant later, the soldier to his right was groaning in pain, and although Banthus did not dare to leave the elven woman out of his sight, he could still see from the corner of his eye the silhouette of his subordinate bend down in pain and cough until he spat on the floor. Banthus then heard the sharp breath of the soldier to his left. A short glance was enough to know that two of the claws were impaled on his shoulder. It was strange to him that the elf could have thrown those projectiles in practically two opposite directions without touching him. And the speed. No mage he had met, no matter how good they were, could fire sharp projectiles like those, impaling them so deep, without making the wind whistle.

It was simply unnatural. Just like her ever-changing state of mind. Her laugh turned to a cold gaze. Then, those same lilac eyes left place to a burning anger and a hoarse voice that shouted back at them.

"You made me do all of this when your kind already knew where to find elves. Do you even understand how hard it was to harvest this much power from lunatics who wanted to stay hidden?!"

Banthus felt an invisible hand crawl from his neck to his head and forced him to bow. He remained silent.

"You are not going to explain?!"

The hand creaked like old wood around his neck, gouging the air out of his lungs. Banthus gasped for air, lifting his head with all his strength, cracking the wood on the back of his head. He could feel the wooden shards pierce his skin, but he would never bow at the elf. The moment he took a look at her, she was forming the claws over her fingers again.

"Speak. Or I'll make your men speak for you. Or perhaps I'll aim straight for their heart. It'll be a mercy at this point."

Banthus clenched his fists as his vision was growing blurrier under the uncomfortable angle of the chain of thorns that was piercing the flesh of his neck. Once he bowed again, he could breathe better. The former captain coughed and took deep breaths; each one of them felt fresh in his burning throat. It was the same dusty, old air, but he had been too close to passing out.

"That is my family's pendant, elven woman." he wheezed and coughed again. "I was never told where it came from, only that it has been passed for eight generations. My men here don't have anything to do with it. Let them go."

The elven woman stepped further away from them to the only light that cleaved deep, dark shadows onto her pale face. Locks of her blonde hair fell to her clavicle, but her long and messy hair waved behind her back as she took her hood off. Her mauve eyes glittered with curiosity. Her clothes had perhaps been olive green before, but her long dress looked brown like the dirt all around them. Her grey cloak barely kept its colour under the dried mud.

" _Eight generations?_ My...that means your ancestors perhaps met my parents. I would be far too young to remember."

The woman walked towards him once more and took the pendant off him. The snap of metal chains whipped the back of his neck so strongly that he could not stop a groan from escaping his lips. He was certain that the wooden shards had dug deeper as a result.

The elven woman giggled, spinning like a little girl at the sight of a new doll. "Now, _this!_ This is what I need to go on adventures!"

Wisps of green light began to light some of the strange writings over the walls. For a moment, their beauty made Banthus forget the stinging pain that the elven woman had caused him. The voice of another woman chimed in with the soothing grace of the smell of rain.

" _Tuama ársa, Doirtim mo fhuil i do spiorad chomh an a tairiscint ceann do do nádúr naofa. Lig maiteach na foghlaí, mar go nglanfaidh mé an tcúis a mhúscai do mhallacht. Geallaim é ar ainm Erendil._ "

The wooden daggers that had dug deep holes into his flesh simply vanished, along with the sting and the warm drip of blood. It was as if, with each word, his wounds were healing, until there was, inexplicably, no pain left.

This brief relief, however, did not last for long. The elven woman's eyes overflowed with the colour of her iris. It was a disturbing pool of lavender that spread over her face with glowing lines that followed the veins of any body. Some even exploded into clouds of black. Even so, she chanted in a maddened, hoarse voice. From her mouth, puffs of black mist spread all over the room with a hiss that, to Banthus's ears, could almost be mistaken for whispers. Or sobs. The green light suffocated under the smell of rotten fruit. The mist carried the smell all over the room; it crawled over everything it could glue its toxic touch to. The light turned purple like the eyes of madness that gleamed in this storm of decay.

As the elf finished her incantation, she screeched as if a hundred voices had screamed through her throat. The former captain of the El Search Party watched in horror as the peaceful green light was giving way to a despair made of rotten lavender. He kept watching the ceiling, praying to Ishmael harder than he had ever done in his life so that the green glow would at least stick to a corner. If Banthus had glanced at the elf then, he would've seen her mouth open far too wide, enough to let the mist itself cover the tears of unholy magic that were dripping all over her jaw, as if it were blood.

The earth shook and the roaring sound of an explosion came soon after. But there was no signs of collapse within their prison. The flickering light of the torch returned to normal, unhindered by the wet, putrid darkness that the mist had brought with it. The small gate to hell that had opened itself before Banthus's eyes was all but gone.

The elf's eyes returned to normal and she fell to her knees with a crooked smile on her face that only made the glimmer of madness in her eyes shine even brighter. She hugged herself excitedly, and her eyes darted to the ceiling of stone that the tree roots were slowly backing up from. Banthus, however, could not move any better. In fact, he felt paralyzed from his neck down. A wooden snake had wrapped him in its deadly embrace.

Something over the elf's face was crawling, but she kept her head down, and he could only see that the roots of her hair were turning to the same colour of her eyes. Whatever it was, it hid behind her hood. It had to be, since it could have certainly not gone behind her eye. Banthus told himself that there were bound to be some bugs in this underground place, and that the woman would simply not notice them.

But he had not heard a single fly nor a crawling bug in this place until now.

"She's back, my dear friend Rena made it back! And she brought such good people to go on adventures with. Rena made them a safe place, right where my palace can't reach them," the elf looked at the ceiling and chuckled, "but I _know_ they'll come here. I'll make them see all the wonders the Lunatics hid from them."

The soldier to his left shuddered and began to quietly sob. The claws that stuck out from his shoulder had turned lilac, longer. The remains of the black mist gathered around them. Banthus glanced to his right and saw that the other was not moving anymore. He hung like an abandoned ragdoll which had been stabbed by a pair of scissors three times. The elf got up with a cheeky grin and clapped her hands.

"Well, guys, I was so glad to meet all of you, gentlemen." She pointed at the crying man to his left "Will," then she pointed at him. "Banthus," she pointed at the dead man to his right and remained silent for a couple of seconds, "...and Liam. Poor Liam, he went to sleep too early. I'm sure he'll be alright tomorrow."

"How do you know our names, you elven wench?!" the captain exploded.

Her smile did not vanish. "Banthus, it seems you forgot my name last time we had an adventure together. Or perhaps you forgot all of them. But for good measure, since this is the last time we'll see each other, I'll tell you my name again."

The elf called back the claws on her fingers and walked slowly towards him. "My name is Lua."

Now that she was close to him again, Banthus noticed that the light of one of her eyes was gone. Instead, a crawling, slushy sound intensified. He knew exactly what it sounded like now. It was the sound of maggots digging through flesh, even if it didn't smell. Or maybe, he had grown used to that putrid smell. He worried about how much time he had passed down here, cut from all light except the lavender glow and the fading orange flame. Was it winter already? Where was the El?

"Will and Liam told me, Banthus, that you stole. Well, they did the heavy lifting, but I'm sure you know they don't lie to me. My fellow comrades never lie. But you always kept rather silent. I'm glad you _finally_ yelled. That means we've grown closer."

Lua pushed back his head, and her grip was ice-cold and far too strong to resist. "Alas, I must say goodbye. I want to go on adventures with _real_ adventurers. Not bandits."

With her free hand, she forced his left eye wide open. "Adventurers punish bandits, don't they, Banthus?"

He felt hot tears build on his eye as she took her index and thumb as pincers. Their sharpness was only a gesture away from piercing his flesh. "I liked Will and Liam the best, you know? They'll stay and play with the adventurers. As one. Will and Liam. Hmm...William is a nice bandit name, isn't it?"

"W-what?" he whispered. "What are you-?"

Lua clicked her tongue. "You are right, Banthus. It'll be no good if they see me missing my left eye." He saw her smile again, but instead of a bright white smile, it was as grey as stone, some traces of green sticking out of it. "Thank the El that you are my comrade! You'll help me build this new adventure. You brought William here and you'll help me stay pretty for when I meet Rena and her new friends. Thank you, Banthus the Bandit."

Banthus stopped seeing the pincers and screamed for a long minute. The sloshy crawling rang in his head for as long as he screamed.

Yet, his suffering was only met by a dead silence.

Once it was over, the pain left him completely silent. He wanted to scream again as all of the shadows that the torch had once drawn were blurrier, almost complete darkness. He distinctly felt pain on the left side of his face, but Banthus feared blindness in that room. What would be next? Muteness? Deafness?

His head was yanked to the left, and he saw those lilac eyes again, staring at him with disgust. "I wouldn't have taken both of your eyes, Banthus. Don't be ridiculous. Looking at your torn flesh once is good enough. It isn't even interesting as William's. But you can learn if you observe."

The tree roots lifted him off the ground and pushed him further away so his back was completely against the wall.

The elf dragged the two inanimate bodies of his men; the shards had grown enough to cover their torsos. The striped blue uniforms that once showed their rank as second-rank lieutenants were dirtied rags, much like Lua's. The elf chanted the same words over and over again, crushing a tiny El crystal in her hands. The shards were slowly absorbed in a dark cloud, connecting both corpses together by their heads.

Banthus heard Will wheeze, gagging on the little air that separated him from death. He had barely the strength to move a finger. His arms shook as the cloud took all over his body. Then, it stopped moving.

"...You killed him."

He repeated those words to the elf; they were only a whisper, but Lua shook her head as she repeated for the last time her incantation. "No, Banthus. I am only transforming him into William."

A flash of light blinded his poor sight for a long half a minute. Once he could glance back at Lua's sorcery, he immediately regretted it. In front of him stood a rodent-like creature, as big as both Will and Liam's height combined. He saw its feet: skeletal and long with claws that were as twistedly sharp as the ones Lua had used to gouge his eye out. Its rough fur was coated with mud stains that held the same putrid smell as Lua herself.

Its face towered him and huffed a humid breath that left a trail of the same invasive black fog around him. Banthus glanced up and saw its hollow eyes look back at him, its sharp yellow teeth already rotting from top to bottom. Where its ears would be were the two cadaveric faces of Will and Liam screaming out their last breath before death.

"See, Banthus? William is not dead. He's a great foe for adventurers, isn't he?"

Liam's head moved slightly to the front and spoke. "Caap...tain. Whu…Me."

Banthus was left without any words for what she had turned his subordinates into. He stared at the monstrous thing: its rusty blade, its sharp twisted claws that held the weapon clumsily. The ripped blue rag was all that was left of the dignified uniforms of what the two knights had once been.

"Cap..tain..." Will's face echoed.

The monstrosity that took both Will and Liam stepped away, and Lua's face was back in front of him. Part of it was completely obscured by the wound she gave him. "You don't feel any pain, do you?"

He heard that she said something, but his mind would not stop seeing Will weakly fighting for his life against the curse that Lua had put on him. Liam's eviscerated corpse covered by that same black magic and the final monster. That thing was definitely a Phoru. There was no mistake about it.

Perhaps, no, it had to be the reason why those spirits had agreed to fight with them.

All those missing merchants, soldiers, even the few missing villagers had fallen to the hands of that elven witch.

"My ritual healed your eye, Banthus. I do not have any more use of you. Disappear."

He raised his head to see a light consuming his body and saw an opening in the distance. Torches lit the path enough for him to see who had broken in from above. A small white-haired girl in a blue dress had come crashing down the endless corridor. She slowly got up, still groggy from the hit. The girl had a battle gauntlet almost as big as her, but it disappeared as the girl sat down, groggy from her fall. Then, the shadow of Lua covered the entrance and she walked slowly towards the now unarmed girl.

Banthus could have screamed at that moment to get the girl out of the maddened elf's hands. Yet he was still paralyzed by how similar Phoru faces were to deformed human traits. He thought of everyone that had gone missing. He was in their shoes now, and the cruel puppeteer had deemed him useless; what would he become?

His answer was given in the oddest of ways. Banthus was prepared to die, see the light at the end of the tunnel, and face the judgement of Ishmael herself. Yet, he found himself back in his carriage, right outside the farm he and five bandits had looted.

The El Shard was next to him, and a note read in a shaky and inexperienced hand: "We've gone out ahead to clean the rest of the path. Join us in Elder."

There were provisions and the horse attached to the carriage. Banthus frowned, crumpled the note, and rolled it into a ball. Then, he threw it with all his strength away from him. Return to Elder? How could those people be so blind? He had to use the El while he still had it and reverse the curse that Lua the Witch had placed on the missing people.

Her cruel games had to stop.

* * *

Rena walked in the wake of night, the moonlight guiding her steps as she took charge of the elven scouts that took the Elders and their families safely out of the citadel through the secret passages within the crypts. Lua stood next to her with her crossbow on one hand and a torch in the other. Even if they were underground, everyone that was fleeing could hear the muffled explosions and cries of those who were not so lucky above them.

"We need to hurry." Rena said, her voice shaking as any spirit she knew refused to help her. She walked faster, her bow in hand, her heart thumping in her chest as loudly as the explosions above. Her mind screeched in horror at the thought of what she knew was happening above the crypts. The Darkness had won, but they could still flee. There was still time to save at least a fraction of their citadel. Once they reached the Northern Bay, everyone would be safe.

She turned around and saw that only the gloom of the torch-lit crypts remained. The group she led was no longer there. Rena froze in place, looking left and right, but that was no use. There were only walls around her.

"Lua? Mother? Father?"

Her quiet voice echoed through the emptiness. Each time, it grew louder. The hall stretched out in all proportions. The torches that dimly lit the place went out one by one. She stayed under complete darkness for an instant. Her shadow abruptly appears. It was surrounded by red. Rena turned around to the ghosts of Lua and everyone in the group.

"Rena, why did you leave us behind? Did you forget what the Elder taught you?" her friend asked, her emerald green eyes shining with cold anger.

"Rena...I thought you had learned what your duties were with Elder Branwen." Lilila continued.

The elf archer clenched her fists as even her father, Isilad, shook his head with disappointment. "No, Lua, mother...I did not forget. I didn't leave you behind."

"LIAR! COWARD! YOU LEFT US TO DIE!" all the fifteen ghosts yelled at her, repeating their chant as their faces deformed with anger. Their flesh melted over their faces, but even their skeletons continued to yell, getting closer to her. Their weapons rose to quench their thirst for revenge. Rena screamed, dropping her bow and covering her face with her arms.

Lua's skeleton was about to stab her with a twisted green dagger, repeating once more the same hateful words as the rest of the dead. Rena closed her eyes, almost tasting the sharp pain that would follow.

Then, her eyes opened and she got up, panting and sweating in the middle of the night. The campfire was still burning, but everyone was soundly two demons usually woke up to the most minor of noises. But tonight, Lu had to chew on wild poppies and chug a few health potions to handle the pain of her bullet wounds. Ciel was also sound asleep. As for Ain, he had just recovered from his broken bone.

The crackle of the fire barely lit the path that Lu had scorched with her flames almost two days ago. It was through that gate that she had fled so long ago, leaving her family and her friend on their own after the Darkness had even killed all of the spirits that had come to her aid. It was the fourth night she had had the same nightmare, and she knew that as long as she did not go down there and put the souls of her people to truly rest, the nightmares would remain.

She knew Lua was still there, in some twisted form, controlling the crypts like some goddess of the undead. Her friend recognized her the moment she made a pact with the resting souls, but she refused to let them pass safely. Lua held a grudge against her and, last time, Lu and Ciel got dragged into a fight that was not theirs. That could not last any longer.

Rena got up and put over her clothes a magical cloak she had carried since she left the village in the Northern Bay for Ruben. That cloak was imbued with protective spells that would hide her presence from golems and other rogue spirits she could not reach with her Nature's Force.

With her bow and arrows over her back, Rena glanced once more at the group she was leaving behind. No. That was not the right way to look at it. She had changed for the better under Elder Brawnen's guidance. This time, she would fulfill the task she had always failed until now.

Letting those souls rest was the only way no one else would get hurt.

"I'll be back by sunrise, I swear," she whispered before putting the hood of her cloak on and silently roaming through the ruins under the weak light of the moon's first quarter.

* * *

 **A/N: I had actually more written down for this chapter, but it felt too rushed for something as important as what will come. So, I decided to expand on that for a chapter of its own. Because of this, chapter 9 will come up sooner than the regular updates. I expect that the end of Ruben will come in about 4 chapters. Elder will be the final arc fellas and it will consume a lot more time. I hope you'll be looking forward to it.**

 **~Kalafinn**


	9. Chapter 9

The past two nights had been enough for his broken arm to heal. Even if most of the ruins were cursed by a rogue spirit, the amount of pure El in their camp was strong enough for him to recover most of the energy he had wasted making the group ignore his frequent disappearances.

He meditated during the night, trying to reach the goddess or monitor the distance of the El. The goddess continued to remain silent, but he was reassured to know that the El was not far away from them.

Then, this night, it moved as if it was on a horse's back. He tried to know where exactly it was being taken, but the rogue spirit cut his meditation short. He saw the campfire again and heard the elf woman whisper before walking away.

Ainchase watched her go again to the ruins they had just explored. She was covered by a magically enhanced cloak and more arrows than she usually carried. He could not trust a creature who defied Ishmael by her silence about the curse that covered this place with its foul nature.

The servant of the goddess reduced his appearance to that of a weak light, as bright as a faraway star. He followed Rena from above as the elf dashed through the ruins, avoiding each trap as if she had known the place like the palm of her hand. This only made his suspicions grow, and he told himself he did well on following her this far.

Rena reached a dead end: a crumbled structure that had perhaps been a temple or a palace, considering the colossal size of its ruins. There, she used some sort of spell that opened a hidden underground entrance two steps behind her. The stairs leading to it were almost completely intact, only sullied by some stains of darkness that, from where he was, could either be mud or blood.

He went right behind her and hid his presence within the light of a torch Rena took in her way. The elf was breathing heavily, not so much due to her running but because of a helpless fear she had tattooed on her face. She muttered something in elven and took a deep breath. That was enough to calm her down, though the Celestial could still see the spark of fear in her eyes.

The elf archer took her bow in her hand and formed a mana arrow. Its point was too curved to ever harm anything. She nocked the arrow slightly above the nocking point, making the arrow point up. Ainchase, as a warrior who had only fought with blades, found her technique intriguing. Rena tilted her bow slightly and fired the arrow.

It followed a fast curve to the left, leaving a trail of mana behind that lit old torches. Before it impaled itself over the floor, all of its mana had already been used. Rena repeated the same shot, but this time nocking her arrow slightly down. The similar arc of light lit the torches to the right. The corridor of stone was now clearer and extended for at least half a mile. It was wider than the entrances to other parts of the underground labyrinth that were limited by the last deep shadows within the corridor. The first thing that grabbed his attention were the walls themselves. They were decorated with glyphs and old divinities, all of them tied to death.

It suddenly became clear to him what kind of place this was. It was no wonder Rena called it a sacred place. Yet, the ruins were too big to only be those of a mausoleum. Or an abandoned monastery, for that matter. However, the other option that he thought about was far too grim. The goddess would have warned him about that massive threat if it were real.

The thought of a spirit who had gathered the souls of most, if not all, of the elves that once lived here troubled him. Rena continued down her path, but her confident large steps soon seemed to him like a desperate attempt to flee. She wondered deeper into the crypts, lighting the torches as she needed it. Ainchase doubted that she had to, given how precise her aim was through the pitch-black corridors.

She knew exactly where to go, sidestepping blocks that were slightly dirtier than the rest. They were cleverly hidden traps for mortals who could mistake the dirt for shadows, but he could feel the malicious mana overflowing beneath them. With the same confidence, Rena took each turn and pushed each secret door open as she descended deeper into the crypts.

Ishmael's servant was no longer infuriated by the elf's knowledge, but he grew restless at how the foul magic got stronger as Rena ventured down. Did she wish for death? Even for a Celestial, dealing in a crypt where dark magic overflowing from every stone could be fatal. There was no longer a doubt about it; the spirit trapped here had used elven lives to empower itself. Perhaps hundreds of them. The elf ranger was either suicidal or plain stupid to think of ever facing that sort of power alone and getting away with her life.

Assuming she was at least somewhat strategic in battle, he could take them both away. If not, they'd both pay the price of her folly. He thought about the goddess. Would she give him the strength to defeat the evil that had been trapped here?

He tried once again to reach her, telling her about the great danger that lurked in this crypts but, once again, only silence followed. Did the goddess trust him? Did she not care? No. There was no way she could not care about him if she trusted him with a mission. How dumb he was for doubting Ishmael even for a second. His goddess trusted him, now that he was at the peak of his strength. This fight would be hard, for sure, but it would be won. That was what the goddess thought by answering him with silence.

A giggle echoed to Rena's left. The torches ignited to life, letting the silhouette of an elven woman draw itself within their crimson light. Her the purple roots that contaminated her blonde hair and her lilac eyes made clear that she was slowly turning into a dark elf.

"Rena, it's been a while." The corrupted elf said excitedly, rushing towards her with a happy jog. Her smile was too white and too wide. She was not a living creature anymore, but Ainchase did not think it could be the spirit who was at the heart of the cursed nature of the crypt. No mana was emanating from her, not even a trace of dark magic. It was all around her, but not coming from her.

"It has." Rena whispered, knocking a silver-pointed arrow and firing it, enhancing its strength with wind magic. The arrow whistled, then roared as it gathered more air and power, advancing far too fast for the other elf to dodge. She stopped and held still, not even attempting to block the arrow.

It was then when Ainchase felt, for the first time, the kind of terror that froze even his thoughts in place. A barrier made of the Mist of the Damned, black as night, rose as a dome to protect the corrupted elf. The bright arrow, which had seemed overwhelming just seconds ago, was completely absorbed by the Mist as avidly as if it were only a snack. That overwhelming power, however, was not what scared him the most.

It was the voices of all the souls that made the Mist. They were enchanted with Dark El and, in this form, he was the most vulnerable to them. The Mist leaped towards him like a hungry wolf, their voices calling him to join their side. They put horrible images in his mind, fake whispers of his goddess telling him he was but a useless tool.

If he stayed in his spiritual form any longer, he would eventually succumb. It was either revealing his divine form right now or perish as a small speck of light in an ocean of darkness. Ainchase used his power to dispel the wave that drowned him, and he appeared next to Rena in his Spiritualism form. His hair and skin were whiter than snow, and his coat dyed with the same blue brightness of the El itself.

His crown and wings, which marked his status as a warrior of the goddess, hovered over his hood and shoulders. They were made of crystals that resembled blades, and their brightness kept the Mist completely away. He faced the purple-eyed elf with his imperturbable blue gaze, whose only darkness rested in the pupil of his right eye. It was the only reminder of the sea of darkness he had drifted through before he made it to this future Elrios.

"...Ain?" Rena asked, her eyes widened with surprise.

Suddenly, the Mist was all over them, making Rena cough and causing her eyes to tear up. She used wind magic to disperse the darkness that was choking her and uncovered enough of the ground to see two skeletal hands break through to grab her ankles. She stepped out of their range before they could grab her. Ain used his magic to throw a purifying orb of light that dispersed the mist completely. It was then that they saw her again.

The corrupted elf leaped towards Rena and was only seconds away from hitting her with nails covered by sharp crystal-like claws that, if it weren't for their disgusting lilac colour, would have resembled Ain's projection weapons.

Rena had barely the time to turn around and duck, but the claws still cut generous locks of her hair. The left side of her hair was cut in a diagonal that left the silhouette of her hair end in a single-edged spike. Without letting her motion show any openings, Rena imbued her left leg with wind spirits and, as soon as her hand touched the ground, she firmly rooted her right foot as a pivot point. Her left leg spun with enough force to crack her opponent's ankles and make her crumble to the ground.

As soon as he heard the crack, Ain readied a long spear of light in his hands to throw at the direction where the undead was. He would use it as a way to teleport right in front of the elf and cut her head right off. It would immediately die, and they would keep searching for the real rogue spirit to defeat it. The Celestial executed everything he set himself to do flawlessly, but right when he was about to deliver the killing blow, the elf vomited the Mist of the Damned right over his face, and the few seconds of blindness were enough for a set of skeletal arms to pin him against the wall, making his hit barely miss the spirit's weak spot.

The Mist smelled foul, and it stung his eyes enough to cloud them with tears. It was even more powerful than what he expected. The skeletons that held him down were embedded with that same magic, and it made his shoulders, forearms, wrists, knees and ankles sting as if he had open wounds all over his extremities. He had left a deep cut across her clavicle, but that did not seem to affect the corrupted elf in the slightest. Her smile was even getting bigger as Rena fired another silver-pointed arrow. This time, she imbued light spirits into it. Its glow blinded the enemy for seconds, seconds that Ain needed to unleash more of his power and reduce the skeletons to ashes.

Attacking her in melee range was perhaps out of the question, but he was not some lowly celestial.

"Abschluss." He said, his voice echoing with the light held within the arrow and enhancing it.

This made the spirits spread under the authority of his status and formed two circles of divine magic that overlapped perpendicularly with each other. The corrupted elf was still healing from her ankle injuries and could not stop the magic from hitting her. The Mist did not even try to stop the two attacks. Before the arrow reached her, the undead elf was already completely immobilized in a prison of white and aquamarine. The arrow pierced right through her heart, and she laid still for two long minutes of silence.

Ishmael's warrior, despite this, knew that this was not the end of the combat. No undead died by an arrow through the heart, especially around so much Mist. He had to cut her head right off when she was like this. He formed a sword of light and glanced at Rena, who took a step to get closer as well.

"Do not approach, elven woman," he ordered, and the elven ranger froze in place, surprised and powerless against the divine power that emanated from his current form. Ainchase frowned at the thought that he would have to use even more of his power to make her forget she ever saw him like this.

"Ain…I must be the one to put to rest those who died here. I have to."

She was uselessly struggling against his power, but she could not make another step. She could barely shiver in place.

Ain scoffed. "Mortals should not concern themselves with such delicate matters." He turned his back to the elf and took another two steps towards the prison where the undead laid unconscious over the floor. The arrow was slowly turning her chest to ashes. That silver was probably blessed by Ishmael herself if it could have such an effect.

Still, this matter would not be over until he cut her head. Ainchase formed a dagger within his right hand. "The troubles of the Spiritual Realm are only for Celestials to solve. Such is the will of the goddess."

"Ain, let me put an end to this. You can't do what I swore to do way before we met. I must-"

At that moment, the lilac eyes opened again and darted in the direction where Rena stood. Her ankles twisted back to their normal position and the arrow disintegrated as her other wounds healed. Ainchase increased the power of his barrier, but the woman still found the strength to stand. She glanced at both of them, and her gaze fixed onto Rena's anxious green eyes. The woman chuckled.

"The demon girl and her servant were interesting companions, Rena, but I had never thought you'd ever befriend such a high-ranking spirit! A Celestial! And a warrior on top of that!"

The woman's voice slowly filled itself with envy, just as her eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, but you were always Branwen's favourite, weren't you?" Her voice got angrier and louder. Ainchase felt that the dark energy all around her was slowly entering her body. That elf was indeed the spirit who controlled the curse. He increased the force inside the prison to force the elf back on her knees, but it was to no avail.

The Mist began to gather around her again. Black fog and lavender lightning spun all around the barrier, punching small holes and cracking its surface. "She always said you were the best. That old hag always put you on a pedestal while she threw me to the ground. Not fair. Not fair at all. _I_ was the one who wanted to go see the world. Not you."

Ain had to break his restraining spell before any more Mist gathered within it. The pressure the black fog released as it expanded everywhere pushed Rena straight to the chamber's wall two steps behind her. The booming sound of the lightning flew across the room like wild arrows that would disintegrate anything on their path.

Rena yelped in pain as a ray of purple burnt through her shoulder, leaving a hole of burnt flesh and sending fragments of the stone behind her as shrapnel all around the wound. The elf had passed out from the pain, but the enemy was still growing strong.

"How easy. For the first time since you've come to my palace, your friends end up being stronger than you."

The rogue spirit laughed as Ainchase sent multiple orbs of divine energy across the room. He focused his fire on the Mist closer to the absurdly strong mana that kept being poured into one single entity.

Divine magic had the capacity to nullify any spell coming from an undead, and the orbs only had to graze the elf for her power to disperse for at least half a minute. He became increasingly certain that he could not beat an undead that used the souls of hundreds of powerful mortals like elves. A diversion was all he needed to escape with Rena. The corrupted elf evaded all of his concentrated orbs of energy charged from his clenched fists with grace. Once he fired the last one, he opened his hand, and the sphere dilated into a projectile four times its size.

The enemy had nothing but a ceiling of stone to hide from the sudden blast. Although she blocked it with her arms, the effect was immediately felt. The Mist retreated into the darkness below the floor, and Ain threw his spear once again. He imbued his wings with the destructive power of Ishmael and fused all of his essence into the lance once he threw it.

The corrupted elf ducked it, but he emerged right as his weapon passed above her and put all his weight over her as he gripped her skull, immobilizing it before she spat Mist at him. She crashed into the ground head first with such incredible momentum that it cracked her head and the floor below right open.

He panted. Ainchase felt his mana and his blessing running at their limit. That last hit was filled with almost all the energy he had gathered in all his time living among humans. He got up and crouched in front of Rena, who was barely regaining conscience again.

The Celestial formed a small crystal over the palm of his hand and used the blessing of the goddess to heal Rena's wound. The green crystal shattered into hundreds of smaller crystals, and all of them gathered inside the burnt hole over Rena's shoulder, slowly closing it.

"...couldn't move." Rena mumbled with a hazy gaze that soon hid behind her eyelids again. The glow vanished and Ainchase was relieved that her body had absorbed all of it. He looked at the wound again, and he could not believe what he was seeing.

Her wound barely healed. That could not be right. Divine magic had no equal and was certainly not inferior to anything else. Something was off.

Ain had barely the time to process that the curse was focusing itself again in one point before he groaned as one of his wings was torn apart by the burn of the Dark El. He turned around to throw a knife at what had attacked him, only to be immediately hit by a skeletal foot that sent him rolling to the other end of the chamber.

His power was dripping like crystallized blood from his back. A skeleton, whose hollow eyes held a lilac flame within spoke with the same voice as the enemy he had just defeated. No, that was impossible. He had defeated it as surely as any target, just like he had learnt to do for the goddess.

"Ain...was it? You have my thanks for that healing. Truly, it makes me want to forgive you for ruining my best vessel."

The Celestial's eyes widened in shock. No undead had the power to absorb his healing magic for themselves. It just couldn't be. That elven woman, she was an abomination. The skeleton formed a dagger of pure mana in its left hand and prepared to swing it to tear open Rena's gut. If it was ever done with Rena, he would have no chance of ever fighting back. He had to flee.

"Explosion!" Ainchase yelled as he consumed more of his energy. A sphere of light paralyzed the walking skeleton. Ain clenched his fists tighter, and the sphere decreased in size, forcing the bones to slowly crack under the pressure or twist themselves into impossible angles.

The enemy chuckled. "Oh, you are afraid now."

No. He did not fear an undead. Celestials were miles above them. Warriors like him were the ones who defeated the souls who wandered off their path after death. He had simply been cautious around her. But not afraid. No, mortals were the ones who feared death. Not him.

"You are worthy of being my friend. That is, if you can take William's place."

He groaned under his effort to keep shrinking the prison. The enemy's jaw cracked, and soon its back followed. Ain flapped his remaining wing, and a rain of blades pierced the sphere he had created, splitting every remaining bone into a pile of bone shards.

He was forced to return to his human appearance. All the power he had gathered had ran out in a single fight. His head felt light, and his ears rang. Still, he could not flee alone. The priest lifted Rena in his arms, touching her bruises as little as possible. Some of them were swelling enough to hide a few broken bones.

Ainchase was forced to walk slowly out of the maze, navigating with less than a quarter of Rena's grace. He smelled the Mist following right behind him. The priest would have used his power to fly right away, but if he forced himself to attain his Spiritualism Form again, he could vanish.

Perhaps, this time, for good.

' _You will join us, Celestial. Your true form will liberate us once it fuses with the Amulet._ '

Ainchase frowned at the nonsensical words the Mist was spewing. "If that is so, then come. This is the last shot you're gonna get."

' _We won't cut Lua's hunt short. Not when she knows that even beings like you can shiver in terror at her power_. _She thought you only feared us in your weakest form. But this changes everything, Celestial. You'll remain here._ '

The priest made his wing appear once more, and its brightness made the voices of the Mist shriek in pain as they backed away. That last effort made his last wing crack and break into countless shards. Ain yelled in pain, but he managed to hold himself straight on his two feet.

He could not drop Rena down until he made it back. Ishmael's servant went up the last set of stairs that led to the corridor Rena had first entered. His eyes hurt as he looked at the bright white light beyond the first underground gate. Ainchase squinted his eyes as the muffled chirps of birds to his right and the clear, far-away ones to his left sang the melody of any other fall morning.

The air felt crisp and burned his torso as he took each breath. Each deep breath in and out was painful, as if a hundred needles pierced his side. He had to force himself to keep shallow breaths, even if the effort of carrying Rena back made his current form beg for more air.

Ten minutes of walking. That was all that separated him from the rest. He could do it, for he was the chosen Celestial to accomplish Ishmael's will. He would never falter until he fulfilled his duty. Yet, he had been awfully close to completely fading away. Ainchase knew he had thought on fleeing like a coward instead of fighting until the bitter end. That wasn't what his goddess had taught him. All of it was unbecoming of a warrior. Warriors never bent to fear, but to the words of Ishmael herself.

 _Do not delve deep into the matters of mortals, Ainchase._

Those had been the words of his goddess, her direct orders. Yet here he was, carrying a mortal to safety, almost dying himself in a battle he could have left before it even began. He wondered if he had offended Ishmael, somehow, by sticking with all those mortals.

He wondered if he should interpret her silence as something completely different from the unwavering faith she often said she had for all of her servants.

* * *

Elsword was the first one to wake up. The trees around the place filtered the light so much it was often hard for the morning light to reach directly their eyes. Given how much their short scouting missions had exhausted them for the past couple of days, most of them would wake up almost at midday.

Aisha was the exception, almost always up at the crack of dawn. He beat her at that this time. But it was nothing to celebrate, as both Ain's and Rena's makeshift beds were empty. He rushed towards Aisha and shook her shoulder. The mage frowned at him for a brief moment before her eyes widened, and she got up in a hurry, barely noticing that her skirt had folded a bit too close to her thigh.

She took her staff and her shield and ordered him to take his weapon as well.

"Rena and Ain went missing."

"Oh." She turned and saw the tossed sheets and scrambled bag next to Rena's cover, and she frowned at the street Lu had turned to a charcoal black. "Then we better hurry to make sure they're alright. Something changed in the curse of this place. It's even more hostile than before."

Elsword put his gambison on and grabbed his sword. He looked back at Ciel and Lu, who were still asleep. "Shouldn't we wake-"

"What good will come from waking up two injured demons?!"

He frowned as Aisha dashed towards the ruins. "Because if we leave them alone, who will protect them?! Tell me that, petty mage!"

The young knight followed her and accelerated his pace to run right beside her. "Tell me!" he repeated, staring at her.

"If they die, it'll be a good riddance." she muttered as she gathered magic within her staff and spun it to teleport herself half a building beyond him. Aisha repeated this two more times and Elsword stopped, hearing something rustle to his left. He saw a glimpse of white clothes and green approach.

"Who goes there?" he asked.

The person did not answer, and Elsword repeated his question as loud as he could. The boy walked cautiously towards it, and he quickly recognized Ain's silver hair, but his tired eyes and defeated wheezes of pain were unlike him.

"Elsword." Ain's voice weakly answered once he glanced up towards him.

The red-haired knight widened his eyes at the swollen limbs and burns all over Rena's body and the blood dripping from the priest's back. He had to call Aisha to teleport them all away.

"Aisha!" He hollered again and again, even if he felt his voice grow hoarser.

Ain's legs were trembling, and his bruised wrists were almost as swollen as Rena's. Elsword could not understand how a priest found the strength to carry anyone with broken wrists for Ishmael knows how many hours.

The young boy had never seen him like this, smiling not with confidence but with deep regret buried in his green eyes. It reminded him somewhat of his own gloom before he decided to train. It was a hurt beyond physical pain, but he had a feeling that saying anything to him right now would not help Ain. But he had to help his friends somehow, or how else would he ever face his sister?

Elsword heard Aisha's steps behind him as she rushed back, barely even sweating. She did not ask any questions but ordered Elsword to step aside as she gathered the necessary mana to teleport the two injured back.

"No."

"I can't teleport all of us back, you know?"

Elsword did not move and shook his head again. "You can go off on your own later. If you are as much as a good mage as you pretend to be. I'll take care of them."

Aisha glared at him. "You're stepping into something that doesn't concern you, Elsword. I don't believe for a second you can treat an injury."

"You'd be surprised. So, do you want to teleport us back today or tomorrow?"

Her frown deepened, "Fine, have it your way."

The purple-haired mage muttered a short incantation and barely two seconds later, he was back on the camp. Ciel opened lazily an eye, but as soon as he caught a glimpse at Rena, his eyes opened wide, and he rushed in to take her from Ain's arms.

"What in the El's name happened to you?" he asked as he laid down Rena and took out the medical kit to pour healing potions and wrap Rena's arms with bandages. Ain crumbled on his knees and almost instantly closed his eyes.

Elsword dampened a cloth with the precious red liquid and looked closely at Ain's face. His left ear had a trail of dried blood. The other ear looked fine, but it only made his young mind wonder what kind of dangers his two friends had faced before coming back here. Elsword turned him slowly to the left to treat his back wounds.

He saw two deep cuts over the back of his shoulders. They were messy cuts, as if someone had put wings into his flesh only to tear them apart as they ripped them out. Elsword took a pocket knife out of the medical kit Ciel had carried out to cut Ain's clothes and see the extent of his injuries. Besides the cuts, there was a big bruise to his side, right where the ribs were.

That explained the short breaths Ain was taking, but not his incredible will to stay awake carrying someone through the ruins. Elsword softly put the damped cloth over his back. Ain groaned softly as soon as it touched the open wounds, but the weak golden glow underneath the cloth reassured Elsword ofthe effectiveness of the potion. Aisha's magic glowed, and she appeared in front of Ain, her purple eyes glowing with fear and anger.

"Whatever they did to open that passage will screw us over. I cannot see why any of them would have a reason to go right back there after what happened. Are they suicidal?!"

"I don't think Rena would ever wish us harm, Aisha."

"Well, tell that to the curse of this place, dummy! It's even more hostile than before, as unlikely as that is. That blind faith of yours towards people you barely know will get all of us killed." She scoffed. "And the worst part is that you still think that mindset will get the El back. It worked wonderfully with Banthus, didn't it?"

"...Why are you so loud at this time, you brats?" Lu lazily asked as she woke up.

Elsword got up with his fist clenched to hit Aisha, regardless if she was a girl or smaller than him. He heard the sound of a shot right next to him and turned around to see Ciel truly angered. "Will you two ever stop it?!" he hissed. "Aisha, you're acting like a shitty brat. Elsword, you either continue your job, or let Lu do it for you while you get your sorry ass beaten by a mage. Again."

"Ciel, this place is getting even more dangerous than before. The curse is growing stronger and deadlier. Whatever these two digged up in that underground is going to go straight for our lives." Aisha continued to argue with her squeaky voice.

The mercenary continued to bandage Rena's injuries as he replied. "And what do you think you'll get by taunting your companions? Reduce our chances of survival?"

"Ciel, you're old enough to know that it's only this kid who's useless in battle. Not me."

"Both of you would be useless in a real battle." Lu gravely answered. "You two might have potential, but against that kind of power, you would only be cannon fodder."

"I'll have you know that I handled myself just fine against the six golems who attacked us three days ago."

Lu rolled her eyes. "And you think that with that attitude, we'll have your back when you run out of mana? Elsword can do teamwork even if he's the weakest one of us, but you?" she frowned. "If you didn't fear Rena's scoldings, I doubt you would have brought Elsword with you after you were done fighting those golems."

Elsword continued his task and was relieved to see that the wounds had stopped bleeding. He'd still have to bandage them, but they were miraculously not seriously infected. He listened in silence as the people around him spoke. He could not say that Lu was lying, but continuing to show his anger would not help. Aisha remained silent and muttered something he did not understand before walking away. The young knight had no idea where she was headed to, but he was still calming down from what she had said to him.

This group was completely different from the squads of other young knights he had been with. They were always united, even if he didn't know them much at the beginning. Sure, they sometimes disagreed, but they never lived under bad terms for long. Banthus or Lowe made sure of that, just like Rena kept somewhat the group from falling apart. Even when Aisha kept nagging him or when Ain never called anyone but him by their name.

He did not understand why Ain treated everyone but him with contempt, but he cared enough to go rescue the others. That was at least something, but the more he was left to think about it, treating Ain's grievous injuries, the more he wondered about what Lu had said. It made Aisha venture away from everyone in the midst of a dangerous place. That was as bad as that mage's attitude, or perhaps even worse. He had always listened to what his team had said before, but Rena was not there to truly lead them all. Maybe, even if he was the weakest, he should step up. Until Rena healed.

He finished bandaging Ain's injuries and got up. "I'll go look for Aisha."

Lu looked at him with a cold gaze. "We can't split up with two injured people to look out for."

Elsword sighed. "Lu, getting a third one won't help anyone, will it? We're trapped here. She shouldn't be too far."

The demoness was visibly angered by his reply, but Ciel spoke before she said anything. "I'll go with you, Elsword."

"Ciel, you should know better!"

The gunslinger put his weapons on his back and took a deep breath to calm the frown that still carved wrinkles on his forehead. "Lu! Don't you see what would happen now that Rena is like this? What you said to Aisha might be true, but it was not the moment to be so blunt about it. You don't want people to betray you anymore, right?"

Lu's frown deepened, and she spat her words like poison. "Don't you _dare_ mention betrayal, Ciel."

"It _is_ the perfect moment to mention it, Lu. You don't want them to betray us, so practice what you just preached to Aisha. You should know that you don't need your power to intimidate people so they work with you or befriend you."

Lu looked to the side, with all trace of her anger slowly fading away. She took a deep breath and covered her face, not saying a word.

Ciel's gaze softened, but it still held some indiscernible mix of hurt that reminded Elsword somewhat of the days he missed his sister. "We came here to live peacefully again, didn't we? But that can't happen if we leave people behind and don't bring the El back."

"Shut up and go if you must, Ciel. Don't take too long."

Her voice was only a whisper, but it was closer to guilt than the hissing anger she often showed. She got up and sat in between where Rena was resting. "I'll look after her, don't you worry."

Ciel nodded and told Elsword to follow him. The young knight followed and, once they were far enough from the camp, asked him if he had seen Aisha go that way.

"Mages leave a trace of their mana when they use a spell. Luckily, we followed her before that mana dissipated."

Elsword nodded and smiled. "Wow, Ciel, you're a lifesaver! I must learn how to detect that too, one day."

The man smiled sadly. "I hope you never need to."

Next to them, like a small invisible star, a green glow of divine magic hovered all around them, as if desperately asking them to notice it. However, it was too faint, and the sunlight of midday hid the fading light. Once they passed through the invisible speck of light, it stopped moving.

It hovered in silence within the forest for a minute. Then, it slowly returned within the shadows of the trees surrounding the camp, hiding itself in front of Rena, next to the demoness who was carefully using what little spiritual magic that she knew to absorb the one that impeded her burns to fully heal.

The light moved swiftly again when Lu glanced at it, but the small speck of Ishmael's energy quickly realized that although she had seen him, her mind had immediately wiped out any memory of it. The light got fainter, weaker until it was almost completely dying out.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally, the peak of the Ruben arc is approaching, guys! That means that chapters from now on will probably be longer reads, so sit tight and please share your thoughts! I am really happy and grateful for everyone that has followed the fic so far. Truthfully, I didn't hope for much when I started, but you guys have been the best.**

 **See you soon for chapter 10!**  
 **~Kalafinn**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So, I recently got a new job. The pros are the money (of course), but the cons are my increasingly slow updates for this fic. Now, I'm not saying it will be on a hiatus anytime soon. But considering I will be back in college soon, I really don't think I can keep up this update pace. I will see if I can publish monthly again, but there's a chance the updates will happen every two months from the moment I get back to studying.**

 **~Kalafinn**

* * *

Aisha wanted to get out, now more than ever. She could not bear another day with demons and gaze upon death so close and so frequently. Elsword was pressing them into a hopeless mission, and she wanted none of it. Not until she found the ring of Mimir again. She continued to teleport further and further south, hoping to reach the coast Elsword had mentioned before, but the same section of forest appeared in front of her time and time again. Eventually, her mana ran out, and she threw her wand to the same cursed roots in a fit of rage.

"Damn it all! I'd let an army of hungry trocks destroy these damn ruins if it would get me out!"

Tears clouded her eyes, and she knelt down, punching the invisible magical barrier that kept her prisoner with a group of freaks. She was already fifteen and praised as a genius even among the Landars until that ruthless fiend took the ring that would prove to all of Sander and beyond that the rumours of her skills were true.

Thinking about how her journey had taken her to this cursed death trap only made her rage greater. Everyone she had ever met since she left Sander had never taken her seriously even if that was only what she deserved. She would have thought that at least Hamelians would treat geniuses like her as they ought to be treated, but here she was. Aisha threw a fireball at a nearby bush, feeling a sudden surge of a familiar power rush through her veins.

This was it. This was the sensation of her full potential once again unleashed into nature itself. She looked at her finger, but there was no ring on it. Instead, the clear sound of metal chiming over the stones around her grabbed her power-hungry gaze to the weak shining of a silver ring. This was the ring she had been looking for, and it just rolled over this world. Perhaps that man had dropped it here beyond these forests. He had no way to get in, but if she grabbed the ring, she would have the power to get out and make him taste just a fraction of the humiliation she had gone through for the past year and a half.

The young mage crouched and reached for the artifact she had been coveting for long, long months, but something was different about it. For a moment, she felt overwhelming dark magic overflow from Mimir's ring. She stopped herself and used her staff to analyze the object more carefully. Just then, the soft paw of an animal took the ring away.

"Whoops! Sorry, I really shouldn't have dropped this here." the fluffy giant said.

It wore a torn-up blue rags with stripes that somewhat resembled the uniform Elsword wore. Its fur looked so fluffy it was huggable, had it not been by the rusty sword it carried behind its back and the oddly high-pitched voice it had. It sounded a bit too quiet for a being that size.

"That ring is mine." she coldly said to the creature.

The adorable phoru looked at the ring and stared at her for half a minute. Then, it smiled. It was an odd smile. The phoru did not show its teeth but rather its rodent mouth stretched into a vague curve that could have been a growl if the creature did not giggle.

"Alright, little creature, but in exchange...will you do something for me?"

Aisha could have sworn something in its eyes shifted, but the gleam in it had something extremely friendly about it. The Phoru was unlike the other ones; its face was as trustworthy as a puppy's. It was the complete opposite of the long, almost cadaveric rat faces of its kind, and its fur did not even hold the faintest blemish of mud or claw scars.

Even though those signs should have put her in high alert, Aisha's mind was already succumbing to the charm of the Phoru who was as tall as two soldiers.

"...Sure thing."

The giant Phoru nodded with its timid smile. "Very well, little girl...I need you to kill the demoness and bring to me the Celestial...Guide him to the crypt's entrance. You follow?"

Aisha knew who the demoness was, but there was no one in their group that was a Celestial. She had never heard the word before unless it referred to the old gods of Sander. That certainly could not be what the creature meant, but she wished to do what the Phoru commanded. "I don't know who the Celestial is..."

A bang echoed through the forest, and a mana bullet pierced some invisible field over the creature's fur, barely grazing and burning the tips of its fluffy fur. It was then where the charm was broken, and Aisha noticed the strange ripples of magic that surrounded the Phoru. She took her wand but still could not bring herself to attack the innocent-looking spirit just yet.

The spirit's calmness distorted with a hiss that screamed of death as it covered its face with its soft paws. The Phoru's paws were growing less soft, bringing the smell of rotting flesh with them as the softness peeled off to reveal sharp and curve long claws sullied by dried mud and dying leaves. The mage clenched her staff firmly into her hands, forcing the mana circuits at the tip of her fingertips to take in the mana that the Phoru's broken spell was liberating.

It only took two seconds for a painted wood mask to become visible to her, fractured by the mana bullet that had almost made its way in-between the eyes of the undead beast in front of her. The more it screamed in pain, the more it seemed that its cries were human. Aisha stepped back as the phoru swung its sharp, poisoned claws blindly. The creature put one of its paws over the mask that was slipping down its snout and leapt back, fleeing into the thick forest until its fur and blue rags lost themselves into hundreds of leaves. Its cries, however, still echoed within the quiet forests for a good minute.

The young Sanderian mage heard leaves being crushed behind her and turned around to see both Ciel and Elsword running up towards her. Elsword was visibly angered, and it was always hard for her to figure out what the blue-haired gunslinger thought.

"Finally, we found you," the young knight panted as his dash came into a halt.

"I noticed," she replied, frowning, "I can't even have some alone time without having you guys ruin it."

"This is not a place for alone time, Aisha. You were inches away from being attacked."

The mage rolled her eyes. "I suppose I should thank you, _oh my saviour_! What could I have done all alone against such a monster that wished me no harm before you shot it in the face?"

The gunslinger frowned but did not respond to Aisha's taunts. "Sure. Let's just head back and plan a way out."

"Well, I just had one before you came in guns blazing, Ciel. I suppose _my saviour_ is against letting me get us out of this place." She shrugged and forced her way beyond the two adventurers, throwing a last glare at Ciel. "I can't believe people of Lanox are as close-minded as those from a nobody village of Lurensia."

She lifted her wand, but Elsword yanked back her shoulder. "Hey! what's your-"

"Do you really think that a masked Phoru wished you no harm? You're not a mage who would be dumb enough to fall for that, are you?"

Aisha remained silent for a couple of seconds, getting out of Elsword's grip. "Are you implying that I'm dumber than you?"

"Based on what I just saw, maybe you are!"

"Well, I wasn't going to take their bait! I knew all along that there was dark magic at work."

Elsword, instead of reacting with another retort, deepened his frown. "Then we should get going."

"Oh? Are you finally recognizing my superior talent?"

Some shadows began to gather in front of them, silently, but menacingly.

Ciel was quick to notice this and the growing tension between the two kid's stares. They were in no position to fight, and even if they were, the risks were far too great. The half-demon grabbed them both by their wrists, forcing them to follow him. "You're right. We should not stay here. More Phorus could be on their way. Let's talk about this back at the camp."

"Why are you grabbing me like harpy fodder?! Let me go! I can teleport myself back on my own!" Aisha argued, but even she had no way out of Ciel's grip.

Begrudgingly, the two teens followed Ciel back, too busy throwing daggers at each other to notice why the half-demon had insisted they leave.

Just beyond the field, many Phorus watched them go, their claws, sticks and stones ready to attack.

They were not ordered to follow the group. Not yet. Lua's hunt was over for now.

The spirits dispersed and followed their way back to the crypt where their leader awaited. Two of them took the fractured mask and went away, far from the eyes of the force that had invoked them. Instead, they escaped to where Banthus was.

* * *

Ainchase had found his calm after the first half of the day passed by without him vanishing. By some ironic flick of luck, the few times the demoness had glanced over at the weak shine of his most weakened form were enough to tie him into the material realm. She realized something or someone was there, although she could never keep her focus on him for long. The Celestial could only hope Rena would wake up soon, since she was the one who was most likely to reform a more solid bond between him and the world he did not quite belong to. As much as he wanted to hope, he could only drift in and out of consciousness for hours at a time, hoping that, when he woke up, he would still be in Elrios.

It was easy for him to know if he was still in the land of his mission, given the kind of place they were in. As long as he felt the curse try to reach him from outside, kept at bay by Rena's barrier, Ainchase dared to hope that he could gather his strength and materialize as a human once more. Although he was aware of everything around him, time in this form came closer to that of the realm of the goddess. It was slower, almost at a standstill while his mind was overflowing with ideas. The more he kept himself conscious, the more his mind would make the slow passage of time unbearable.

He used sparingly the power of the dozen El Shards they had brought with them to maintain himself focused for short lapses of time. It would have been easier to remain in a lethargic state, but the events of the few hours or minutes after he came back worried him. Ainchase deemed it as good enough of a reason to stay conscious and think on ways the group could overcome what he and Rena could not. Unlike the elf, he could muster enough strength to remain awake despite his grievous injuries.

Still, he could not abuse the energy the shards held. Now that the shard they were after was long gone, the Plague could swipe the defences they had left against the monster in the crypts. The three pocket shards the group had used for purifying the water of nearby brooks were turning violet. The threat lurking around them probably knew that and was just playing with them until their only shield was too weak to be of any help. Ainchase could only theorize plans of attack when he was in this form. But he had to stay awake longer to see how the events turned out.

Even if he could not be of any help now, Ainchase wished to know for sure if their chances of winning in a last and fast offence were not growing fainter. A battle of attrition would doom them. They had lost every skirmish until now and he had no idea how any of them could face such an overwhelming force. The Celestial wandered near the food supplies they had left and noticed they only had ten health potions and sixteen mana ones. It would be imperative for the group to find food if they did not want to starve later on in their journey. From what he had seen, these ruins were not bursting with food. A few wild berries would perhaps be all they had, and that scarcity would play against them. He noticed that the demoness was looking where he was before turning her attention back to Rena. The elf groaned in pain as Lu put her dislocated shoulder back in place. The pain woke the elf for a minute and, in a daze, she managed to utter part of a question.

"Lu...how is…?"

"Rena, everyone is fine, don't worry. It's a miracle you made it mostly back here on your own. Rest. Do you want some poppies to chew?"

The elf shook her head. "No...he brought me back..."

Lu frowned and took out from the supplies the remaining poppies she had used to heal her wounds before. Although her back was still scarred, Lu seemed in full control of her pain.

"Well, Rena, Elsword and Aisha brought you back. But you were alone before. I'll make you rest if I must, you need to heal."

"But he was there..."

Ainchase stopped scrambling about the group's belongings and got closer to the two women. This, under normal circumstances, would be completely unexpected, but the elf had seen his spiritualism form clearer than any other mortal would see it under normal circumstances. Ishmael's servant figured it had to do with the strong ties to the El and magic itself that the Ruben forests had. In any other village or region, even Rena might have forgotten how she got out alive. What had hurt them all so badly was oddly the one thing that could help him forge ties strong enough to accomplish his mission without fearing of disappearing back into the world of the Goddess and face Her wrath. Yet, once he succeeded, Ainchase doubted Ishmael would be happy given how much he had transgressed her rules.

"Yes, Elsword was there, and he brought you back. He'll be back in a moment."

"No...Ain..."

The glow he was made of began to grow brighter and in size until he could materialize in his human form. His wounds made him suffer, and although he still had the bandages Elsword had put on him, blood was moisting them, leaving more stains over his white clothes. He did not expect her to remember his name so clearly when she barely could keep herself awake, but that also made the tangibility of his existence even more uncertain. Out of all the people he had met, his mission now depended on the person closest to death. He could not afford to waste even a second now. He was too weak to show his spiritualism form to anyone else, and even he was not as desperate to let a foul demon figure out what he was. Those creatures deserved nothing from him, but he had to make an exception now that his survival rested on the fleeting memories of mortals. The goddess had not given him any strength until now, and maybe, in this kind of place, even she could not reach him.

Luciela stared at him, blinking a couple of times in silence before she pointed a finger at him. "How...did you just...appear out of thin air?"

Ainchase laid slowly down on his right side, where the pain was more bearable and shook his head. Rena's consciousness was already fading away. He figured he did not have more than fifteen minutes before being forced to being a forgettable orb of light again. "I don't have much time. I can't waste it explaining things you do not need to understand, demon."

He created a blade of mana and began carving his writing on the soil around him. His mind was strangely clear as he remembered each turn he took the previous night. Ishmael's servant could picture and draw everything so clearly from memory alone that it made him wonder if it was the last thing he would do in Elrios. Even if what he was going to do displeased the goddess, he could no longer ignore that the success of his mission now completely depended on whether or not the group of mortals he travelled with survive as well. They had to live in order for his ultimate mission to succeed. The El was slipping out of their reach and from then on...he could only wonder how harder his journey would be.

"Even when I have to go...you'll still have this to-"

"Ain! You're reopening your wounds! What are you doing?" Elsword's voice rang over the distance. The boy crouched besides the priest and tried to force him down, but Ainchase still kept writing on the ground, finding the strength with his other arm to push Elsword back.

"I'm leaving you with what you have to do to fight her back. The sooner you go and find what I could not, the sooner you'll all be out."

"Wait, Ain...we're not letting you fall behind! Lowe sent us all, remember? We have to come back to him together!"

"I will come back if Rena makes it out with you. She's the safest here, so, whatever you do, do not take her anywhere until you defeated..."

Ain coughed painfully and spat some blood on the ground. Ciel looked over what the priest was desperately writing and was surprised to see a detailed map of some kind of underground facility with keywords and arrows pointing at traps. Some other sentences were written around the map, but Ciel could not make out what they were, as his carrier as a local mercenary had not let him learn written Elrian. But even so, he could tell that anyone reading it would have a hard time distinguishing which of the shaky traits of each symbol were the good ones and which were made because of Ain's physical strain.

Ain's hand was trembling, and his breath was shallow as he finished the sentence over the top of his map. The blade shattered soon after that and a flash of light blinded everyone for three seconds. Only a flickering light remained, which plummeted to the ground as if it was heavier than lead. For a moment, the Celestial thought this was his end of his mission. An utter failure. But even as hours, days passed by, he still could see the others slowly sit down, talking too fast for how slow their movements were. He could understand them, but he wondered for how long. From here, he could barely glance up to see their faces and even that required him to use more El energy.

As limiting as it was, he listened to the group step towards the thing that he had drawn.

"Hey, Lu...did you make this?" Aisha asked, her feet looming over what he had written. The demoness crossed her legs and remained silent for a long time.

Elsword stepped next to Aisha to take a closer look at the map and crouched to see it closely. He passed his fingers over the dried blood Ainchase had left on the mud. His ankles turned slightly, perhaps to face Rena and Lu, and he asked the demoness if Rena had woken up.

"Briefly, yes, but not for enough time to draw something like that. You would have certainly seen her get up and write this."

The demoness clapped once and got up, gathering Aisha's attention. "What, did you finally figure it out?"

The small blue boots made their way to the map, and locks of white hair grazed the ground. "I felt some strange energy around this spot. Whatever spell this was, it hid this map. I do not know enough written Elrian to read nor write half of what is carved here."

Ciel's worn leather boots stepped next to Lu's and he crouched with her, his gunblades carving small cuts on the ground. "Well, someone had to do it. It can't be a ghost."

The magician put her shield over the ground and Lu jumped over the map, taking care to land on the other side. While her landing was sloppy and she landed on her knees, the demon countess only groaned softly in pain. Ciel followed her with a rushed pace before kneeling behind her.

"Lu, you're still hurt. Don't do stunts like that because one of your wounds has reopened."

"We've both been through worse, Ciel. It's what's written here that worries me. What I can barely read, anyhow. Whoever wrote this says that the force that trapped us all in would kill us if we don't strike it out fast."

Aisha kicked dirt over the blood, sullying Elsword's hand with it. "You're considering taking what is here seriously? There's enough danger all around for it to be a trap in itself."

Elsword glared at the mage and took his hand off. "It would be pretty dumb for a trap to point out all the hidden traps inside an underground...mouseolim...maisonlum..."

"Mausoleum?" Lu guessed.

"Hmm...yeah, Lu. Never heard that word before, but the runes match that pronunciation. It says that the spirit who sent us here can control the dead inside the crypts at her will."

The demoness pointed at the entrance and drew a line over the long corridors he had drawn as she spoke again. "So, we are dealing with the dead. Elven dead. No wonder the strength of the magic around us is so overwhelming."

Ainchase was intrigued by how the demon countess had guessed part of the danger based on shaky sketches and barely enough knowledge of the Elrian lingua franca to know that. Aisha was the one to voice his surprise. "And you know that how? No, actually, let me keep saying that trusting something that appeared here out of nowhere is downright stupid. Let's assume you're right. It's still too convenient to be here. Wouldn't this be only an invitation to a trap?"

The Celestial wished to be human again to slap some sense into the purple-haired brat, but that wish was short-lived as he noticed that he was draining the remaining pure energy from the third shard. He'd have to sleep again until those mortals made it or died. Ainchase would know the outcome one way or the other, that much was clear to him.

Luciela glanced at the small orb of light next to Rena and looked back at Aisha. The girl made some sense, but not in this case. Not when she had seen how that priest had materialized and vanished right before her eyes. She was not sure what exactly he was, but telling everyone of something the priest himself would not explain seemed beneath her. The demoness also thought that even if she told everyone, no one would believe her. Plus, perhaps Ain was better off as an orb of light instead of suffering through the pain of injuries that would not heal overnight.

"I would trust this map, Aisha. It was made with imprecise traits, the blood near it is not an illusion and is most likely from a human, as far as my senses can tell. Magic was hiding it from your sight before I uncovered it." She got up and glanced up to the mage. While she was a head and a half smaller than that Aisha, she could still make her shut up with a stare. "Or does your _genius_ see something fake in this traits? Can you see magic that a demon that has lived more than quintuple your grandparents' lives cannot? If so, go ahead and tell us."

Aisha stepped back and shook her head. She spoke with a quiet voice, "No. And that's what worries me. I saw the entrance to this and..." her voice cracked until it became a whisper, "the dark magic that flows from there is beyond anything I have ever seen. Knowing that this note is here only tells me that we are not the first here, and we will probably not be the last to disappear if we go and fight whatever lurks inside."

She clenched her staff in her hands and hovered over the small paragraph that read: _'The spirit is patient and will wait until all your barriers won't hold anymore. Even if they are held by El shards. You must not wait for her to come to you. Attack while you can.'_

"There has to be another way to get out. Going in there is too risky. We could figure a way to break the barrier just like Rena did."

Elsword shook his head. "Going to the boundaries is dangerous as well, Aisha," he said as he explained what he and Ciel had seen Aisha doing. Lu's eyes widened.

"That is as worrying as what could await us in that mausoleum. Or perhaps even more. If those masks can hypnotize one of us, even momentarily-"

"I was not hypnotized by such a weak creature!" the mage barked.

"I beg to differ," Ciel calmly said. "You almost accepted an offer to kill Lu and lure some...man in exchange for a rusty ring."

"How in the El's grace did you hear that when you were so far away?! Curse your superhuman senses, Ciel!" Aisha groaned with childish rage and rushed to lie underneath her covers, although it was obvious she was not tired enough to sleep when the sun was still at its zenith. Luciela asked Ciel for more details on what he had heard, and as she heard what had happened, she initially did not find the words to answer with. Her eyes glanced again at the weak orb of light that slept peacefully over the supply bag.

"Lu, is something wrong with the supplies?" Elsword asked.

The demon countess shook her head. "Well, not really. I was just thinking that we are running short of health potions. I think that whether it is possible for us to win a direct combat or not, we will be weakened by hunger soon enough."

"None of our options are good, are they?" the young knight continued.

Ciel nodded as he sat over his covers. "We are being driven to a corner no matter how we look at it. What we have here, though, is information. It might come from the...Celestial person that Masked Phoru wanted Aisha to lure to this cemetery."

"Lu, do you know who a Celestial is?" Elsword asked.

Luciela combed strands of her hair back as she prepared herself to lie about it. The pieces she had to figure out what exactly the priest was hiding were coming together. Yet, revealing such truth to others might paint a target on Ciel's and her back. Demons held a grudge against Ishmael and any of the spirits who served under her orders. If any of the assassins that chased her out of Fluone found out that she was travelling with a Celestial, they might even call Sult himself to kill Ciel in an agonizing way right before her eyes.

The demoness asked Elsword to read everything that was written on the map. According to the map, the spirit that haunted the place was three floors underground and appeared to be a forest elf slowly turning into a dark elf. While both Elsword and Ciel seemed confused about this, Luciela knew that elves could become 'corrupted', but she could not answer them how it happened. That was beyond her knowledge. As Elsword continued reading the shaky traits, the demoness's expression darkened.

Not only was their foe capable of controlling the corpses around her, but she could jump from one to another and summon a suffocating mist. What the author theorized, however, was that the elven woman did not appear in her real body. Finding her corpse and injuring it grievously would be the only shot they had to kill her and free themselves from the citadel.

"This is impossible," Ciel sighed, "if the elf is capable of using all the corpses in her favour, it'd be impossible to stall a skirmish in a closed space like this one. Not to mention that those corpses can appear underneath our feet. How would we find out the real corpse anyway? They're all bones."

Elsword frowned, holding his sword close in his hands. "It seems that way, but no matter how small, we have a shot at this. I don't know much about magic, but if that spirit is tied to a single corpse, it wouldn't be impossible for Aisha to trace it with magic, would it?"

Everyone turned towards the mage and stared at her for a long time Lu was the first to break the silence. "It would be possible, yes. Aisha, you are the one who wants to get out of here the most, aren't you?"

"I won't go into that place. No way. You guys have not seen it up close, but I have. We'll all be deader than unarmed Caluso children in a trock village if we step close to it."

"Aisha, not sure if you listened, but no matter what we do, we'll be as dead as whatever you compared us to." Elsword replied. "We have one shot at actually making it out alive and you chicken out? You'd find it better to die of hunger and alone instead of using your magical talent to help us? Is that what being a First Class Elemental Mage is about? Abandoning your fellow adventurers to their luck when you could've been the difference between living and dying?"

Luciela could not help but smile at Elsword's tirade. It was rare she saw him take charge of anything, but he was getting increasingly better at it. Even if it was only to try to bring together the most unruly member of their group, the boy had a spark of potential as a leader. However, the demoness could not help but wonder if his harsh tone would always work to warm Aisha up to the idea of helping them. Rena had that motherly attitude she could not replicate to calm the fiery nature of the two kids in their group.

While the two humans yelled back and forth among one another, Ciel took place by her side. A glance from him let her know that he wished to talk to her in private. They watched the two kids continue to argue, inches away from punching one another, oblivious to anything else that was happening around them. They were in their own chaotic, little world, calling themselves names that were only getting more and more ridiculous.

The demon countess got up and walked a few trees beyond the camp. They were still close enough to the kids to watch over them, but they were far enough to not be overheard by the rest of the group.

"You're hiding something, Lu."

The demoness took a deep breath. Sometimes, she wished Ciel was less direct with his suspicions, but she would not change that bluntness for anything else. If anything, that was what made her trust him even more. Ciel could hardly keep his thoughts to himself when they had to do with her in any shape or form.

"Yes, and I am doing it for safety reasons."

The blue-haired mercenary looked at her with some pain in his eyes. "I have not heard that one since Sander."

She smiled sadly at what he was implying. Back when they had just barely made it out of Lanox, she had figured out what kind of demon she was and who was chasing after her. Even if she had made the contract with him before then, she still refused to tell him that she was part of the nobility, fearing he might try to go after her power as well.

"This is different, Ciel. It's because I trust you more than anyone else that I cannot tell you. I'd be putting us in incredible danger if the wrong person got word of it."

"You know I can keep secrets, Lu."

The demoness nodded and rested her head over Ciel's chest, hugging him softly. "I know, Ciel. But I am afraid that if this one thing gets out of my lips, we'll be putting everyone in even greater danger. Who knows if this spirit is not under the influence of some high-ranking demon."

Ciel returned her embrace, covering mostly her shoulders and back with his forearms. "I did not sense any demonic energy since we've been here. Even if Berthe knew you were around back there, no demon has come for us since you saved Elsword. We're safe now."

Luciela wished that things stayed that way forever, but every time they found peace, it would only be temporary. Yet, she had no reason to cut those peaceful days short. "Ciel, many demons have mastered necromancy and other dark arts. I cannot ignore that possibility. I don't want to paint a target on us now that we have not been chased by any other demons for months."

Her servant patted her head. "Alright, Lu.", he whispered, "But even if the assassins come back, I'll protect you."

Although his intentions brought a smile to her face, she would feel better if she could do that for him instead. He had risked a lot when she did not remember anything, and, while the contract saved him, Luciela wished to protect Ciel with her own power instead of the other way around. As the Steel Queen, she could not picture a moment where she would let a friend this close to her continue risking his life while she passively waited to be rescued.

She pushed herself away from Ciel, and it only took a glance at the two teens to notice they were already growing tired of their almost playful fight. They were laying on their respective covers, only glaring at each other and muttering what could only be insults in their respective dialects.

"For the El's sake! Can you stop that annoying nasal nonsense you're muttering?!" Elsword suddenly barked.

"Excuse you?! It's you who should stop those exaggerated rolled r's when you speak _your_ nonsense!"

"I'll stop my nonsense when you come with us to fight!"

"Good! I'll stop mine when you stop trying to force me to die in seconds!"

And just as they decided that, they continued to mutter insults against one another in their own dialects. Lu shook her head at the desperate stalemate they were in. Everything she had thought about Elsword as a leader was fading away. He was still an immature kid, and only time could tell if his few sparks of leadership would forge themselves or die.

Ciel chuckled a bit at the ridiculous show the two were putting on, but he did not say a word about it. Luciela, on her end, noticed that Rena was half-awake due to the pain of her wounds and perhaps the loudness of the two kids. She glared at them and crossed her arms, waiting until they would notice her. Only a minute passed before the anger of the two had faded to let through a mild concern.

"If you both want to keep arguing, fine. Just tone it down so Rena can rest while I treat her. Don't be inconsiderate."

"Y-yes, Lu." they replied in unison.

* * *

The darkness of the crypts was only familiar to her and Rena. Lua walked through the most prestigious crypts, those reserved for the most important elders. It was a corridor where all the tombs were hidden underneath statues that replicated each elder, sitting on a stone throne. At the end of the corridor, the mythical First Elder sat in a richer throne than the rest. Her gaze was fixed on the front, frowning slightly and holding her bow firmly within her hands. Had Lua been anyone else, the magic that had once enchanted this place would have dissuaded her from entering.

But Lua was the new ruler of the graves that housed hundreds upon hundreds of souls. The Darkness had given her a crown and, now, the only thing she needed was a throne. The elven woman approached the statue and put her hand over the bow of stone. The mist gathered around her grasp and dissolved the weapon into sand. Lua punched a hole through the First Elder's face, her joints burning at the small amount of pure energy that the shock liberated. The pain fueled her anger and she threw one punch after another, chipping away stone fragments from the statue until the coffin underneath was visible.

She prepared herself to throw another punch, but there was something strange about the coffin. It held two corpses: one hidden by magic her mist could not dissolve and another one underneath it. Lua made her teeth and jawbones creak in anger before sitting over her distorted throne. The Celestial had dared to throw her out of her best shell, but she had hundreds of Phorus, Golems and Fairy Knights at her disposal. Capturing him and consuming his power would be enough to retrieve her long-lost beauty.

"William," she called. It only took her mist a minute to teleport her most recent servant in front of her. William did not have his mask anymore. "What happened to my precious gift to you?"

The Phoru shook his head and knelt down, putting his paws over the two heads from where he spoke. His snout twisted in a soft growl as the head of the first human began to wail. "I cannot...harm him. Elsword should not have followed."

Lua frowned, letting the Darkness overflow from her as other phorus gathered to silently inform her of what they had seen. "You had the mage in your grasp. I told you, if your illusion fails, kill them. That's what bandits do to adventurers."

The second head groaned. "I'm not a bandit! I'm Liam Jenkins! A sworn knight!"

"Liam?", the head to the left perked up, trying to glance with its rotten eyes towards the other head. "You there, nay?"

"Will?"

"Enough!" Lua barked before letting her mist consume the Phoru once again. The two human heads screeched in pain before quieting down. "You are William. A Phoru bandit that works for me. Do you understand your role?"

"Yes," the two heads replied in unison. Their voices were monotone, and their eyes were filled once more with the magic that stopped their souls from playing outside of their role as William.

"You failed to turn one of them to your side, so, what will you do when you meet them again?"

"I kill them."

The lilac light in her eye sockets grew brighter and if she had not been a skeleton, that glow would have been reflected by a satisfied smile on her face. "And you bring me the broken mask."

The heads shifted around the Phoru's head, taking the place of his eyes instead. "That I cannot do," Will's head began.

"Two of them took it away," Liam's head continued, "Far from this grave, beyond what we can see."

The glow inside Lua's eye sockets burned with rage. "Then, you'll play with those adventurers until they can enter this place and be my eternal friends. Get out."

William vanished within the mist she controlled as she took it to the entrance of her domain. Once all of her servants were gone, she looked once more at the amulet that hung from her bones. It was incredible that a human possessed such a precious artifact, let alone that any of his ancestors were given one in the first place. But with it, she could channel easily all her power throughout the forest and even beyond. While she could only control the citadel, there was a barrier she could not break.

The best she could do was to lure in small groups of people with spirits that could cross the barrier. It had taken her hundreds of autumns, but she was confident that with her current power and this amulet, she could break free from the hidden cell before she killed the weakest of her prey. Usually, she would target them first, but considering the advantage she had in numbers and the little teamwork the group had, taking out the strongest was the fastest route.

Lua chuckled. She had already gotten two of them, and the remaining two were no longer in top shape to fight her with all they had. What little joy she had felt at the thought of getting rid of the demons vanished at a sudden realization: the mask was gone. She had put enough of her power in it to fear that whoever got it would become a wheel that she would never control fully. A day with the mask missing was a day where the mask could be studied or, even worse, replicated.

Lua had made a choice. She would get the Celestial's power as soon as night fell and break free, expanding her citadel until she could get those who had stolen the mask away from her.

* * *

Banthus still roamed around the dense forests, living on the provisions he had been left with by his men. He could have stayed in the same place, but seeing nature's decay slow down around the shard made him think that he was wasting the jewel's power.

The former captain had made it to the peak of a hill. From there, he could see the clear waters of White Mist Swamp in the horizon. A week's walk from there was the Shadow Forests of Elder and, most importantly, the cave he had taken as a hideout with his men. The route he was on was far from the shortest route to Elder, but he would not have it any other way. He had never been one to believe in the old folk tales about Phorus or elves who inhabited the forest. Now that he could see those rat-like spirits clearly and saw for himself the horror that an elf could cause, Banthus had quickly changed his mind about the quiet, almost invisible spirits that hid inside Ruben's forests.

In that underground chamber, he had the impression that only a few days had passed since he was freed, but the sun set faster outside of the ruins than inside it. He took a dried leaf from the ground and the small layer of ice that made it glisten under the morning sun. He frowned at it. He had at most three weeks to figure out a way to retrieve phorus and give them their humanity back. There was a story that spoke about the Ancient Phoru. The beast had been born with the Tree of El, protecting it as its sole guardian, or so the legends said. Banthus figured that he could find a lot more phorus and return them to their human nature before angering the Ancient Phoru.

The imposing swordsman put back his belongings on the bags his horse carried and began slowly making his way downhill, down an old beaten path that often narrowed just enough to let a horse through. Wally would not like to know that he had sold the carriage and most of the horses to farmers, but this road was isolated from any main ways at this point. They only joined after circling the Swamp. As Banthus left the hill, two phorus approached him, each carrying a part of a wooden mask. The man recognized the two because of the yellow bandanas they carried around their necks; a courtesy he had given them after giving them two health potions for their injuries five days ago.

"Oh, this is a nice surprise," the giant man said, stopping the horse before turning to face the two spirits. Now that he could only see through one eye, Banthus was even more careful in his travels. "Is that a thank you gift?"

The bony Phorus looked at each other and put each part of the mask over their faces. The strange arabesques over it began to glow with the El. Banthus took a while to glance at it and see the strange magic at work himself, the glow became so intense that he was forced to close his eyes. Once the intense blue glow had faded away, there were two small men standing where the two Phorus were before. They were barely tall enough to be children, but the fragmented masks had adapted to cover their faces. The big wood mask was now two smaller wooden wolf masks.

"You...where did you find that mask?"

The two dwarves looked at each other and pointed to the south-west, where the main roads were. "Lua's...citadel."

Their voices were not as high-pitched to be those of children, but perhaps they were only teens before they were turned into monsters by that witch. Banthus frowned at the elf's cruelty, but he did not let his mind be stuck back into what Lua had done to him back then. "Say, there are others like you in the White Mist Swamp, yes?"

The two yellow-clothed masked men nodded. "The Ancient One would greet you. Joyfully."

That brought a frown to his front. "Hey, hey. I don't think that's how Ancient spirits would react. I'll be taking you back to your human form, so he'd be pretty mad about it, wouldn't he? I'm doing it regardless, but..."

The two masked teens looked at each other again, and the one to his right spoke for the first time on his own. "Loneliness is nothing but his nature. Our nature as humans is not complete. The Ancient One is the only Phoru there should ever be in these forests."

Banthus scoffed. "Well, that makes this job even easier. Lua might be a true monster, but we'll undo her evil faster. How about it, will you follow me until you regain your humanity?"

The masked ones nodded in unison.

"Good. The name's Banthus Evans. How about you guys?"

"Toto," they both replied, "We remember not all things as humans, thus the name given by the Ancient One for us was that."

Banthus nodded and set his eyes back on the sinuous road ahead, galloping on his horse as the two spirits jogged easily to his side, not showing the slightest signs of fatigue even when the midday sun rose high above them.


	11. Notice

**Sadly, this update is not a new chapter.**

 **I have had recently medical problems that have put me at odds with my academic pursuits. As such, as much as it pains me, I'll have to put The Edge of Dusk on a hiatus until I can manage my time to continue to write it. I have about a quarter of chapter 11 done and my current planning is done until the beginning of chapter 14.**

 **This means that the current events of Ruben are already all planned out (some of it partially written) and ready to move into the events of Elder. From now on, I'll be forced to focus solely on my studies and although I hope to get chapter 11 done and uploaded before the Holiday vacations in December, but I am not sure I will be able to do so.**

 **Sorry guys,**

 **Kalafinn**


	12. Chapter 11

Ciel scrambled through his belongings and found only four rounds of bullets left. Half of them were expensive explosive rounds that were certainly not fitting for fighting inside a closed space. While he could use them to condemn the corpses from flooding in, he had no guarantee that the crypts would be solid enough to withstand that sort of explosion. On the other hand, if they were surrounded in an open space, those bullets could save them. He was going to be completely out of physical ammunition from this point on. Ciel clicked his tongue at the thought. While he could create mana bullets, the recoil from shooting them was stronger, as the mana he drained to produce them also took part of his stamina.

However, those worries paled in comparison to the ever-nearing coming of winter. He did not know how much snow could fall on this region, nor did he know how cold the area could get. The coldest he had experienced were Resiam's humid and snowy winters, but since he was much further north, he could not use that as a reference.

Rena could die if they did not make their journey to Elder before snow covered their path.

He searched for mana and health potions and packed two of them in his bag. Once he counted the bullets he had once more, Ciel looked back at Rena, who was still sleeping due to the dry poppies Lu had given her last night. Leaving her alone here was a huge bargain they all had to take. None of them knew what defeating the elven spirit would mean for them. Maybe they would all get out safely, or perhaps Rena would be stuck there with no way out. And yet, Lu seemed confident that Rena would make it out with them.

Ciel had asked her about it, but the demoness only told him that it was a hunch. He speculated that the hunch had some kind of reasoning behind it, but he decided not to press the matter. Lu was hiding the identity of the one who left the map for them and perhaps a few other things about the place. The mercenary supposed she had detected some old dark magic once used in the demon realm, but he knew that she had good reasons to hide that information from them. It would not be fair for two kids to be dragged along their game of cat and mouse with demon nobility. He packed the map Lowe had left with them and glanced around to see Lu, Elsword, and Aisha prepare their weapons for the upcoming battle.

While Aisha had been reluctant to come, Lu finally managed to convince her by reminding her of Rena's situation and their increasing need for food and shelter to avoid the bitter cold of winter. The Sanderian mage had put on a light gambeson over her purple dress which had a hood to protect her head. She still had fear in her eyes, but once Lu gave the order to go, she followed the group's quick pace. Ciel had the impression that Aisha left something in Elsword's hands, muttering something about combat, but he did not let his mind be distracted by anything that was not a potential enemy.

The last time they got distracted, the enemy had taken full advantage of it.

Luciela had decided to lead the march, but even as she dashed through the forest, Ciel could see that her movements were clunkier. Her shoulders and back still ached under the burden of the shot wounds the golems had given her. He had been lucky last time, getting away with only an invisible strain on his body from the overflow of demonic energy and some bruises. This time, he'd have to make sure none of them would get seriously injured before they met the spirit which had made them prisoners of its world.

Some of the buildings were still standing, despite having been turned to a charcoal black, but the flames had made nature fall back a few more meters from them. Their view of incoming attacks was only enhanced as the chances of another ambush had grown dimmer. Ciel saw the shadow of a tree branch move and glanced up.

Only an instant later, Luciela glanced up and ordered them to leap back. Ciel followed her movements in sync, leaping and landing one block behind. Elsword tripped as he slowed down to step back, and a tree branch appeared from underground, aiming to pierce his heart as he fell. In the blink of an eye, Aisha teleported to his side just in time to snatch him away from the sharp wooden branch. The mage who grabbed him by his left pauldron put herself in front of the branch and summoned two orbs of fire from her staff. The living weapon swung backward as the tree it belonged to stretched its branches, twisting them together to form a sword that plunged through the walls of five buildings, all of them crumbling down in a cloud of grey ashen dust.

The mage grabbed Elsword again and teleported both of them to Ciel's right. Once the cloud had dissipated enough for the silhouette of the wooden sword, Luciela dashed forward to slash it in a single movement. The flames overflowing from her gauntlets instantly turned the splinters and wood chips to ashes. Lu mentally warned him about the heavy steps of three golems coming their way from behind, and Ciel turned around to hear the heavy thumping steps of giants made of mud and leaves.

"Heads up, Elsword, Aisha!" he hollered as he fired an explosive bullet. The recoil was stronger, and he could feel his arm almost flinching under the explosive power his weapon had unleashed. Yet, the shot did not miss its target by much. Instead of the right elbow, the bullet pierced its shoulder and exploded, blasting its head and torso into atoms. The red stone shone where the monster's forehead had been a moment ago, and Aisha did not hesitate to throw another fire orb at it, catching the jewel and burning it to crisps.

Elsword dashed towards the golem to the right as his sword shone with a mana enhancement. The boy swung it as strongly as he could, slashing the golem sideways, and then followed up with an upward slash. The stone lodged in the middle of the giant's chest gleamed briefly under the sun before being crushed by yet another heavy sword blow. The remaining golem transformed its arm into a heavy cannon that was a gigantic replica of the barrel of Ciel's weapons.

Aisha muttered a chant as she teleported in front of Elsword, and her shield gleamed with a green light. The golem fired, and a giant stone came in an instant to crash against the shield. It exploded with such power that Ciel was pushed slightly back. Fearing for the kids' lives, he immediately dashed into the cloud of smoke to take the golem down.

The first thing he saw, to his surprise, was a pile of dried mud that was shaping itself again. Ciel swung his weapon and cut the jewel in half before its power reanimated the golem. The dirt crumbled again before it was swept away by the wind. The half-demon glanced eastward, his heart filled with the vain hope of seeing Rena standing and well. Alas, his hope faded as fast as the fraction of a second it took him to glance and see that there was no one there. He called for the two kids as the cloud dissipated and he saw that the wind he had felt emanated from Aisha's shield. The currents dissipated and brought the fragments of the stone bullet to the ground.

Aisha took a deep breath and wiped some sweat from her forehead. The shield she was carrying was an ancient and powerful relic, but there was no room to get a breather in the middle of this fight. Lu hollered for them to advance, and Ciel could see why. Dozens of Phorus were running at them from behind. The trees were closing in on them from the sides, and there were neither buildings nor nature in front of them, only a destroyed plaza that extended for at least five blocks on all sides. If they were to fight dozens of phorus and a handful of enchanted trees, they had better chances to win in a large area where their enemies did not have any chances of an ambush nor a pincer attack.

Elsword jumped away from the roots that wished to snare him, but, as one dragged him back on the ground, he took an ice orb from his side pocket and threw it over the plant. The enchanted ice crawled over the roots like a hungry snake, swallowing the wood avidly until it became as fragile as glass. With a swing of his sword, Elsword broke free and rushed towards the rest of the group. Ciel noticed that the cold had not only affected the three living trees around Elsword, but also some of the Phorus. He noticed that there were two waves of them, and he aimed at the tree closest to the two dozen Phorus who were charging in. The least he could do was to blast the gigantic tree and block the Phorus' path. And maybe, if he's lucky, he could even crush some of them in the process.

At that moment, he felt Lu's mind connect with his. 'You have only 12 explosive bullets left, Ciel. We can't waste a single shot. This is not the real fight.'

Her voice echoed in his mind, and part of her knowledge on mana manipulation flowed into his mind. Ciel poured mana over the bullet shell until every small explosive inside it was under his control. He fired once, and time itself slowed down as he focused on this new attack. As it was supposed to do, the shell fell apart, each wall of metal detaching itself to reveal two rows of four small bullets now filled with mana. Even if the distance increased to more than three blocks from where he stood, Ciel could see the rows of projectiles traveling as one as clearly as if it were right in front of him. The tree he was aiming for was only a window apart from the first bullet of the second row. He took control over it and propelled it towards its target with all his will.

The moment the bullet touched the wood, it did not even have the time to creak before the mana burned through it into a blinding explosion that left over the trunk a hole almost as wide and as tall as the tree itself. The colossus crumbled and fell over the three Phorus Elsword had frozen in place. This was but the start of his attack. The remaining seven bullets were still going straight ahead. Ciel forced them to turn at a ninety-degree angle, right where another wooden knight was pushing its roots to advance faster than the incoming Phorus. At this distance, even if it fell, it would not hurt the spirit rodents. Instead, it would only slow them down and, knowing the kind of place this was, knew that every delay on one front increased their chances to get to where the rogue spirit was in one piece.

The first bullet of the first row was the closest, and Ciel fired it. The tree fell like the first and lifted the dust that remained of the golems they had fought before. The remaining six bullets turned forty-five degrees to the right, climbing slightly upwards so the third bullet made the third three fall. Ciel lost track of time as he used each projectile to take the biggest and slowest of their immediate opponents down. Although he could clearly see what he was doing, anyone else would have only seen a single bullet bounce between its targets with such momentum that the point of impact left a gigantic hole behind. It was a dance of blue explosions that formed a pile of wide and long trunks from which no Phoru could circle without being caught off by Aisha's flames and Elsword's blade. Lu stood still by his side, giving him back the copious amount of mana she had made him use in less than a minute.

He nodded at her, thanking her. She gave him a smile and stopped her mana from continuing to flow into him. Elsword had slashed down the last Phoru who had tried to flank them, his breath growing heavier as pearls of sweat rolling down his forehead. Luciela looked in front of them to see seven golems raise a wall of stone to trap them. Ciel called both kids to press forward, despite their fatigue, and leapt with Lu to tear a hole as fast as possible before the Phorus tore through the barrier of fallen trees.

The demoness let sparks of demonic power flow evenly between them, empowering their shared strength. The mark of their pact over their bodies began to glow with a light blue as their weapons themselves gathered demonic flames on their blades. Lu used magic to harden her muscles and bones as she sped up, her left gauntlet clenched in a tight fist of flames that bashed in a hole into the barrier. It was big enough for her to pass through with ease, but everyone else was too tall to hope to do the same. Ciel used his mana to empower the flames that covered his weapons, slowed down to make the barrels aim downwards, and he jumped upwards as he focused his mana on the tip of the barrel. The blast of energy the flames had received formed a circular explosion that propelled him three stories high into the air. He had the perfect angle to aim and shoot comfortably another explosive bullet to make the breach Lu had made wider.

He reloaded, aimed, and shot. The bullet shell left a trace of blue flames in its path, and the real bullets rained on the structure, doing exactly what he had set himself to do. Now, he could pass by only bowing or sliding across it. The recoil of the shot, however, made his fall faster. Ciel could see the ground get dangerously closer to him. Once he was only half a story over the ground, he used the weak levitation spell Lu had taught him to dissipate the momentum of his fall. Although Ciel ran towards the other side of the wall, following the two kids, he had begun to feel his legs stiffen. They were only halfway to the temple. The only thing he could quickly get out of his bag to trick his body with another rush of adrenaline was a small mana potion. He took the cork off with his teeth and gulped the content of the small flask before throwing it aside.

He readied his weapons to slash the golems on the other side only to be tackled by a strong wave of fiery wind. Ciel had only the time to raise his forearm to protect his eyes from the dust and ashes before he was thrown off his feet, rolling over the uneven stone floor. Once he came to a halt, the half-demon saw that his weapons had rolled out of his reach, and the shadow of a golem hid the sun from him. He could only glance up in shock as the puppet's fist came straight for him, too fast for him to be sure if it was a fist or a claw.

A flash of light blinded him for a second, and he saw Elsword barely parrying the hit with his sword. Something about him, however, was different. There was a pendant hanging over his neck embedded with a gem that emitted some magic. Its effect on the boy's body was akin to the demonic energy Lu used to enhance her endurance and strength. He rolled out of Elsword's way and rose again to deliver deep cuts over the golem, but the heavy blows that he delivered only left scratches and sent tiny pieces of the metal of his blade flying. The golem, upon learning what material Ciel's blade was made out of, enhanced the resistance of its armour. Lu's mana was growing low, and he did not have to look at her to know that she was facing the same challenge.

The golem turned around, transforming its clenched fist into a clawed gauntlet, and swung it at him. Ciel had barely the time to step back, but he felt the graze of the sharp claws cut some strands of hair over his forehead. The mercenary soon realized it was more than his hair as dark liquid blocked his sight briefly.

"Look out!"

Ciel instinctively leapt back and swept the blood that had momentarily blinded him. The tremor that followed as he landed again was a signal that the monster's attack had crashed on the ground. He charged small spheres of mana in the barrel of his weapons and pressed the trigger. A magic circle charged itself in front of him, and he fired three shots. Once the small spheres of mana went through the magical circle, they became small flames that pierced through the stone and revealed a fraction of the red jewel on the left palm of the golem.

Elsword swung his sword, his grip growing weaker, but he managed to crush the centre of the stone, rendering the magic that animated the statue useless. The golem froze in place, and its legs crumbled as easily as broken glass. Elsword held himself from crumbling as well with his sword, but it was obvious the continuous fighting had tired him beyond what he could resist. Ciel was also feeling his legs wobbling, but he still had enough willpower to keep himself walking straight. The half-demon took a deep breath as Elsword gulped a mana potion to recover part of his stamina. Aisha was helping Lu stand. Some of her wounds were reopening again.

Ciel rushed to her side, and, although Lu only had to drink half of a health potion for her wounds to close, the way she clenched her teeth gave him a bad feeling.

"Lu, you don't need to force yourself."

"We need to press on, Ciel. I'm okay."

The demoness stretched her arms before throwing the burnt pieces of clay towards the entrance they had formed. It was barely enough to delay the Phoru's pursuit for a minute before getting to the other side. The effort, however, made Lu grunt in pain, and she finished the content of the red flask in her hand before throwing it to the ground. The demoness glanced at Aisha, who was also out of breath.

"Keep a fire or a nature orb at hand. We might need it."

The mage looked through the bag she carried and took a fire orb out. Luciela nodded and hollered for everyone to continue. Their pace was slower; the battle had taken a lot of their energy. The few mana potions they had could not fully restore their stamina. They still had a long battle ahead of them. After they had put a distance of four blocks from the wall, Ciel turned around to see at least thirty phoru claws rapidly scratching the clay barrier they had put between them and the other side. Luciela turned around and ordered Aisha to use the explosive orb in her hands as she quickened her pace.

A wave of dozens of Phorus poured through the wall, screeching as they ran towards them. Another wave was coming from behind them, crawling over the surface of the wall. Aisha screeched as well before sending the orb flying with her magic. The crystal ball hit the ground with a bang and the explosion was so great, a gust of hot air knocked them off their feet and sent them rolling for a few seconds. Elsword grunted as he got up. His left wrist was swollen, and his feet were left in an unnatural angle. Aisha silently cried as her left arm bent downwards. Luciela was barely better, having bruises all over her arms and a cut over her right leg. Ciel felt as if he had been crushed inside a windmill, but he did not dare to look beyond the cuts and bruises over his hands as he got up with a grunt.

Behind them was nothing but a field of smoke and bright orange flames. It had the smell of burnt meat, which was completely odd for Ciel. Spirits were supposedly ethereal, not made of flesh, yet he could not mistake that distinct smell for anything else but burnt flesh and burnt hair.

Thinking about it made him uncomfortable, more so than the crushing pain that his every movement caused. He hoped at least one of the flasks he carried in his pockets had survived the two falls he had gone through and was glad to find that one bigger health potion, protected in a wooden case, was still intact. He took two big gulps of the red liquid, and his pain diminished. He offered the flask to Elsword, but the boy shook his head, taking an identical flask out of his bag.

Aisha was still on the ground, unable to move, and Lu was once again prey to the pain of her unhealed wounds. He gave the flask to her, and the demoness drank one long gulp before she could find the strength to rise once more. She walked towards Aisha and crouched next to her.

"Is it only your shoulder?"

The mage weakly nodded. Lu then turned her around softly so that the mage laid over her back and grabbed her arm. She placed one hand over the wrist and another over her armpit. She slowly distanced Aisha's injured arm from her body and turned her wrist slightly to the right. Aisha's eyes widened in fear.

"No, please, no...it hurts already as much as it is!"

"If I don't do it, you'll be injured even more later on. The battle isn't over. The rogue spirit will take advantage of any injuries."

Aisha opened her mouth to protest again, but Lu pulled her arm slowly and firmly, downwards at the wrist and upwards on the armpit, until the strange bump on the mage's side returned to where it should be. Lu took Aisha's bag and left a small health potion in her hands. "I know it hurts, so take this for the pain and your other bruises. We must get going."

The mage clenched the flask in her hand and slowly sat down, still breathing heavily at the pain she went through. She glanced up at Ciel, her purple eyes still shocked by the constant and dangerous fight they had just gone through. The half-demon offered her his hand, and, after a few moments of hesitation, the mage extended her trembling and sweaty hand towards him. He grabbed it softly, yet firmly to pull her up. Aisha nodded weakly and turned around to drink a sip of the potion before storing it once again in her bag. They were too exhausted to run anymore.

Without a word, the group licked their wounds as they dragged themselves towards the most dangerous part of their fight. They were too far away to notice that, behind the pile of burnt Phorus, two had survived. Parts of their limbs had been scarred by the flames, but the unnatural power that tied them to the ruins was strong enough to make them ignore the intense pain that would have otherwise immobilized them.

* * *

Aisha had barely managed to teleport them into the underground entrance before the most hideous Phoru Luciela had ever seen recovered from its injuries. The haunting image of the thing was still carved into the demoness' mind, and it left her with more questions than answers.

Phorus were already ugly spirits with withering rat faces, anthropomorphic bodies of rodents with claws so sharp and sullied that the danger of a scratch was not so much the depth of the wound but the risk of infection. This Phoru, however, made even Lu feel cold sweat roll down her back. Its face was skeletal and, instead of the normal rat ears, the rotting faces of two men stared with glassy eyes at them. Some ribs popped out of the greasy, ashen-coloured fur like dull knives. Its tail was bitten and revealed molded flesh where flies and maggots gathered to feast on it. A slushy sound above made Lu look back at the monster's face again. The faces were sliding down towards the empty eye sockets. Once they were there, a snapping sound echoed through the tense silence, as if to signal that the heads would not move from there. There was still enough hair and skin on their two skulls for her to know that they were familiar. The blue rags that hung over the monster's torso only enhanced the familiarity. Needless to say, the stench of death surrounded the beast like a second shadow.

It was this, Elsword's sudden grave silence, and the smell of burnt meat coming from where they had thrown a fire orb at those spirits that made Lu wonder if what the Phorus they had fought against were not spirits at all.

Yet, she had no time to keep her questions running wildly in her head. Her shoulders ached from each dash, each jump. The demon countess admitted that she had a long way to go in order to adapt to her current power. Her combat instincts were honed by her overwhelming strength, not by pain and scraps of her power. She dared to hope that, after being treated properly, she would not have permanent sequelae.

The corridors of the mausoleum were narrower than she remembered. They had to go in pairs, Lu swiftly lighting a torch with demonic fire so that Aisha could see where the rest of the torches were. The mage threw a fast series of fireballs, and their eyes widened in horror as dozens of skeletal arms emerged from the walls and ceiling as if they were made of mud. The skulls of those disembodied hands were slowly dripping out of each wall, very slowly but in such numbers that everyone considered safer to stand their ground instead of rushing in.

The demoness reached up to crush the open jaws that dropped over them to dust, even if a thousand invisible needles awakened her injuries each time she slashed the corpses right in half. Ciel and Elsword were slashing the arms that flowed like waves trying to drown them. The claws on her gauntlets and the blades of both her servant and the brat clashed against the fragile bones, which grew in power. The dark energy that empowered them made each skeleton harder than the last. At this point, Luciela felt as if she was trying to crush a steel blade instead of skeletal hands. The unmovable grasp of a corpse curled around her ankle just as another corpse was falling from above, jaws and arms opened to throw her to the ground.

If she pushed her limits to retrieve her former power temporarily, she would have to exhaust Ciel's energy as well. While her demonic flames would consume the corpses in an instant, they would not be strong enough to burn through every room and destroy the real body of their enemy. Another hand grabbed her free foot, leaving her even less chances to duck the living corpse that was getting increasingly close at her.

Luciela heard her heartbeat slow down. Each beat was clearer. The pain over her shoulder blades was distinctively clear. She could feel her blood rushing out from the bandages again, drop by drop. Her mana was low. She could feel it in every inch of her body just as the empty eyes of the skeleton stared at her. Its fingertips were sharp like daggers, and, inch by inch, it was swinging them to her neck.

It was going to decapitate her.

The hands that held her feet down grabbed her ankles even tighter. She could feel the bones of her ankle grind out of place ever so slightly. Luciela let her last remains of mana overload the palms of her gauntlets. Just as slowly as the corpse swinging its deadly attack, Lu rose her left fist above her, coating it with her mana. The spell carved on her weapon made it look double its size to her opponent when in reality, it simply summoned a mana shield to deflect the attack. Almost simultaneously, she swung her right fist in a straight uppercut to crush it in a haze of demonic flames. The enemies might be outnumbering them a hundred to one, but she was Luciela R. Sourcream; defeat was never an acceptable outcome in any battle. The nails of her enemy scratched some of the colour away from her gauntlets. The enemy was too slow to react to her counterattack. It did not even turn around to the bright blue flames that began melting the side of its skull.

Her burning punch eventually hit its target, turning the melted bones the flames had grazed to ashes. The sound of Ciel's blades parrying an increasing number of enemy attacks replaced the slow beating of her heart. Elsword cried out, but she could not help him as long as skeletal hands kept reaching for her head. Come to think of it, she had lost track of where Aisha was. The mage was the only chance they had at sweeping every enemy away.

"Aisha!"

At that moment, Luciela sensed something that did not quite fit with the dark magic around them. It was a faint trace of defensive magic from behind her. The demoness barely had the chance to glance at it before a bright green light blinded her. The next thing she felt was a howling, deafening gale lifting her from the ground, sending her spinning into a haze of dismembered skeletons, shadows and an overwhelming light that swallowed everything else. She called out to Ciel, but the wind was swallowing any sound coming from her lips. A hand grabbed hers; it was warm, but it was not Ciel's hand. The demon countess held onto it, and the wind stopped for a second before resuming again. She saw another shadow approaching her, and she reached out for it, knowing it was Ciel holding onto someone else.

The wind stopped again and the light with it. They were back in the corridors of darkness, a darkness so complete Luciela could almost swear she could touch the rotten humidity that lingered in the air. She was standing on solid ground, finally. She clasped her hands, but only found emptiness to hold within her gasp. She remembered holding Ciel's and someone else's hands. Yet, she had no reason to believe she was alone now.

"Ciel, where are you?!"

A grunt to her right answered her. Her demonic nature allowed her to get used to the darkness faster than anyone else, and she quickly distinguished Ciel's movements. He was slowly getting up, using his weapons as a cane. "Dear El... where are we now?"

He stopped and turned sharply to his right. "Where's Elsword? And Aisha?"

Lu's eyes searched in the darkness for their vague silhouettes but found nothing but the faint rusty smell of blood.

"This can't be good. Ciel, can you track Aisha's mana?"

Ciel coughed as he finally got back on his feet, searching the remains of his belongings to gulp the rest of his protected health potion.

"Let me catch my breath...I think I broke a rib or two when I fell."

* * *

Elsword was panting, completely blinded by the darkness that had come back to reign over them. He knew that Aisha had somehow summoned that gale and, just moments ago, he had heard her fall somewhere to his left. He groped around the floor, searching for his sword over the humid stone floor he was crawling over. Each time he stretched his arms, he felt a burning pain swallow his chest, but after a few seconds, he felt the handle of his weapon well within his reach.

"Aisha..." he mouthed as he blinked. The light of the spell was still burning in his eyes, some stains of blue light dimming even further his vision if that was even possible.

The glitter of a flame-coloured the darkness with the orange glow of the sunset surrounded him. He glanced up to see Aisha sitting her back to the wall, panting and with blood streaming from her temples. Her staff kept the flame alive, but her gaze was lost. He was not sure if she had realized that he had moved around, or if she had heard him. She simply stared at the flame. Her shield was on the other side of the room they were in, close to where he had crawled from.

"You almost managed to keep the demons with you. But I couldn't allow it. It was a mistake to let you live after you refused my offer, mage girl," a voice similar to Rena's announced. It seemed to come from every corner, and as soon as it spoke, Aisha's lost gaze sprung back to life, her eyes widening, and the flame in her staff extinguishing itself for the blink of an eye before being replaced by a gentle light. She had teleported closer to her shield and was slowly reaching out for it.

Elsword had a bad feeling about the darkness around the shield. Even if the shadows were retreating as Aisha's light approached them, they seemed to only get darker around her. For a moment, his pain disappeared, and he felt as if the air itself was helping him leap towards Aisha. Just as he reached for her, the shadows transformed into a short sword ready to slit her throat. He pulled her away from it and swung, with every last bit of strength he had, his sword to try to parry the incoming hit. Blades of bones grazed his fingers, but his grab remained firm. The daggers he had parried hit his sword with the same strength as a heavy double-handed sword.

The impact pushed him back, and his grasp gave out, leaving his chest right open for the final dagger. He felt a hand over his shoulder and, an instant later, he was on the opposite trajectory from the shadow that ended its course on the wall. Its darkness melted away and revealed the real shape of the weapon: a rib sharpened like a scythe's blade.

"I'm impressed, little knight," the voice mused with a chuckle, "You might be a better companion than William. No, you _are_ better than him."

Aisha let his shoulder go and stepped forward so that she was now by his side. "This idiot is too weak to even be a granny's friend, spirit. I'll...I'll burn you to a crisp before you even think of another cheap trick..."

Aisha's voice was hoarse, and her legs were trembling, but she held her staff firmly, so much so that even with the weakening light of her fireball, Elsword could see that her knuckles were white.

The woman's voice laughed and laughed, each fit of laughter getting more maniacal. Suddenly, she stopped and spoke with such a cold voice one might have never guessed she had been laughing just seconds ago. "A mage who has pushed her capacities to the limit is as dead as a cripple in a battlefield. I'm not going to let you touch that shield again. Die."

Aisha let out a weak laugh. "I'm perhaps a cripple now, but the winds reached all the corners of your fortress. You might've stopped me from getting us all here, but I will burn you to a crisp, once and for all."

Elsword could see that even though she was injured, Aisha's smile was as confident as ever. Mana gathered with a howl around her staff, and she reached for his hand. He knew she was charging her teleportation spell, and he grabbed her hand.

The light of her spell surrounded them, and, a few seconds later, Elsword saw a different room. The walls were lit by a gentle green light emanating from crystal torches. Statues of elves ran through a corridor that ended where a decapitated queen held a staff to her right. Aisha fell to her knees and coughed until she was gagging and finally spat blood all over the floor. Her breaths were shallow and forced. He knelt to her aid, getting out what remained of his health potions, but she did not move. Her hands were shaking too much for that.

"I guess I'll just help you drink it."

She glanced at him with a frown on her face. "Only this once. I'm only like this because that demon wanted to go down. Don't ever think I'm weaker than you just because you saved me once."

Had they been in a less dangerous place, he might have corrected her. He had had her back as much as she had had his countless times today. Elsword kept silent and helped Aisha gulp down the remains of his second flask. The burning pain in his chest was coming back, stronger than what he had felt before. Aisha took a dried leaf out of her bag and crushed it before pouring the remains in a mana potion. The flask's contents changed from a deep blue to an aquamarine colour as she shook it. She swallowed until the last drop and put the empty flask gently to her right.

"This is the only place unaffected by her curse. It's what keeps her tied to this place," she began, drawing a magic circle beneath her with a glow flowing from the tip of her fingers, "Neither she nor her corpses have attacked us so far, so I think that she can't easily sneak around here. This room holds old magic, but it's not completely foreign to modern spells. The biggest difference is that this magic is engraved on the bones of one of the corpses here."

Aisha finished the last trait of her circle and grabbed her staff, making the circle multiply over each tomb. "Drink a potion and watch over whatever comes towards me. If that spirit attacks me, it's all over."

Elsword sighed before he chugged the last potion he brought with him and put his hand over the amulet she had given him. Somehow, that crystal was keeping his stamina high enough to keep him fighting for this long. Without it, he was sure he would have collapsed from exhaustion long before they reached this place. "This place has only one entrance, and if the spirit can't come from the shadows, she can only face me fair and square!"

The young knight walked towards the sole entrance and stared at the darkness beyond it, all his senses focused on the slightest of sounds.

The laugh came back from nowhere, oppressively loud and mocking. A skeleton emerged from the ground, cutting in half the circle Aisha had drawn where she sat. The mage leapt back as two disturbing mauve flames stared at her from empty and dark eye sockets.

"For a moment, I feared I had underestimated you, mage girl. This magic that you're giving me is what will trap me here until both of you die!"

The skeleton summoned blades of darkness into its closed fists and leapt towards them. Aisha grabbed him by the shoulder to teleport them out of there, but they did not get further than two steps from the door. Elsword touched the only entrance with the tip of his sword and felt an invisible wall trapping them in.

The skeleton's blades were ready to slash Aisha's staff in two, but the mage soon covered it with her mana to strengthen it so it could parry the hit. Elsword side-stepped to roll behind the enemy and land a strike, but just as his blade neared the skeleton's tibia, the enemy jumped above and threw its daggers at him, with such strength that even if he parried the hit, he was pushed two steps back.

Aisha threw fireballs at it, but, with a single swipe of her skeletal arms, the enemy summoned a gale of foul wind that choked the flames.

This battle would be far from an easy one, but they had no choice but to fight her.

* * *

Luciela followed Ciel through the darkness beyond, only cut down by her demonic flames, which cut Ciel's shadow over the disturbingly silent corridors. She could not shake the feeling that they were being observed very closely. A sudden chill made her turn around and see a skeleton throw something at her. Ciel turned around and fired at the giant being, but the bullets ricocheted over what looked to be a blade of some sort. Lu grunted as she parried the blades from piercing her throat with her forearm.

The skeleton continued to dash, completely ignoring them, but the demoness was determined to not let it run away. She reached out for its leg only to find other skeletal hands jump out of the walls to stop her arm. Before she knew it, a dozen more hands pushed her to the wall, almost completely immobilizing her. Ciel rushed in to help her cut down her chains. Once she was freed, the demon countess felt a familiar energy oozing from one of the rooms. It was more concentrated than anywhere else.

"Ciel...do you sense that?"

"Yes. Maybe we are getting closer to where the spirit is," he stepped closer with his right hand uncovered. The tattoo over it was a spell that could track the mana summoned by any mage staff.

"Aisha seems to be a floor below us. She teleported there just now."

Luciela squinted. She had to know exactly where they were. Ainchase had drawn a map of three floors, and there was no light from the outside coming here, so they had to be somewhere in the second underground floor. She filled her fist with demonic flames and scattered them around the hall, burning some spots while getting all the torches around them lit.

Two steps forward from them, a hole the size of a head let them see a peek into the dark floor below; right next to her, the wall was cracked, with lingering traces of blood over it, as if someone had been thrown towards it like a rag doll. All over the walls, there were traces of arrow points trying to cleave the stone while some bigger traces left her wondering if it was the work of a spear. Trails of dried blood led to a staircase to the floors above, seemingly fleeing from this place moments before dying. Ciel walked towards the staircase, putting his glove back on before passing his finger over the marks left behind.

Lu knew something about them was bothering him. Maybe he would figure out on his own what she could not tell him for his and the group's own good. The arrow marks and the crack on the wall already gave them a good idea of who had recently been here.

"It's strange," he began before the sound of rattling bones from behind them made him turn around. Since her hearing was sharper, Lu knew the bones were gathering from below, and she jumped just in time to avoid another grasp from the skeletons. Ciel fired two mana bullets enhanced with her demonic flames, and the attackers burnt until not even their ashes were left.

Ciel turned back at the staircase and shook his head, "It looks to me as if someone was injured trying to get Rena out, but Elsword and Aisha found her alone."

Luciela nodded, but her senses were dragged back to the dark room none of the remains of Rena's battle had reached. The bones impaled on her flesh were stinging with pain, but she had no health potions left to take them out and close the wounds. Instead, she cut the daggers so only the tip that pierced her flesh remained and ripped part of her empty bag to use as makeshift bandages over her injuries. It would slow her speed to manipulate her gauntlets, but it was better than feeling lightheaded during a battle due to blood loss.

The demon countess knew for certain that the spirit had attacked both Rena and Ainchase viciously, probably to stop them from getting into the room at the end of the corridor in front of them. But the spirit had not manifested itself for some reason. It could be either a trap, or it had gotten to Elsword and Aisha first.

"Ciel," she began as she headed silently down the source of the dark energy, "let's end this quickly."

She heard him walk to her side and reload his weapons with explosive rounds to hit multiple enemies again. She would lend him more of her demonic power to prevent the bullets from ricocheting. It was a subtle trick to get through most barriers of this world, which had never been made to parry demonic magic. The two demons carefully stepped in the darkest room, and a dark mist began to gather like fog around them. Luciela coughed at the putrid smell that made her guts churn.

She took another step forward, but the mist quickly condensed into sharp edges that would have gone right through her head had she taken another step forward. The demoness swung a quick jab at it, but as soon as her claws reached the blades of darkness, the mist returned to be what it was. It seemed impossible to fight an enemy who could very well change its shape to be unreachable. Yet, it had not attacked her precisely, it was simply due to dumb luck that the mist had not been able to hurt her. The same could be said for Ciel, who had stopped barely an inch before another blade made of that putrid mist. She looked to the flames around them and saw that small blades were also closing in on them, changing ever so slightly as the flames wavered under the darkness. There were more of them around the flames than around them. It followed heat and rapid movements more precisely than their slow steps forward.

With an idea in mind, she looked at Ciel, and he nodded. She watched him fire an explosive bullet right behind them and the mist rushed towards the collapsing shards of hot metal that lodged themselves deeply within the walls and torches behind them. Now with a clear path ahead of them, they rushed towards the dark room and did not dare to light even a spark of a flame. What little they saw would have to do. Their demonic senses would guide them more to see where the source was and once she destroyed it…well, maybe she could gain back some of the power she had continuously wasted here.

She would need that power to protect herself and Ciel after this chase was over.

The room's darkness was unnatural, the smell of rotten flesh was even stronger here and so was the malicious energy. It was hard to pinpoint where it was coming from now that they were surrounded by it. Ciel was walking cautiously, his arms trying to find the edges of the walls after a misstep almost made him trip with one of the stone tombs all around them.

Luciela did not see much better, but while the darkness weighed even on her demonic vision, it was not absolute. She could guess the shadows of statues and pillaged tombs. All of them could be the source and she had no guarantee of what destroying them would do. The demoness looked back to see that the blue light of Ciel's bullets was running out and so were the flames. The mist was becoming invisible, closing into the darkness they were in.

"Ciel, let's destroy everything here."

The man turned towards her, frowning, "Are you sure you can handle it?"

She could not find an answer, but her servant was already reloading his weapon with another explosive round. Even if Luciela had known him for the past two years, she was impressed by how he did not hesitate to aim and shoot at the hall they were in before, making each small bullet ricochet along the walls, setting a trail of demonic flames as they passed.

The mist gathered like a cloud of angered wasps around the bullets, looking to suffocate the flames. He crouched slowly and groped around where he was until he grabbed the top of one of the tombs. He made his blade glow slightly with demonic power and slashed it in half. The loud crash of crumbling rocks was still swallowed by the successive explosions in the distance.

Nothing else occurred, but the evil of this place could not come from anywhere but the tombs around them.

"Lu, we at least need to try to fight whatever evil comes out of here. We can't hesitate when we're out of options."

He crawled to his right and swung his blade again to break the second tomb. Nothing.

The demon countess nodded, covered her gauntlets with demonic energy to absorb anything that would come out of the tombs. It could be poison but she would take that risk, trusting that no dark magic of Elrios could truly harm her. She walked to the nearest tomb and smashed it to pieces. The energy got stronger for a moment, but no energy flowed into her body. A gust of wind was howling in the distance and Ciel cursed before cutting the fourth tomb.

She did not need to turn around to know what he was thinking. The Mist had reacted to what she had done and was growing in power, like a hurricane of blades ready to turn them into mincemeat.

The energy had cried for its help.

She charged her gauntlets with demonic flames and lit the room with the glow of blue flames within her hands. Two punches and the fourth tomb crumbled. The wind was roaring in her ears, seeking to lift her up. Dust stung her eyes, but her determination to live overpowered her instincts. She would not let anything stop her until she had crushed the last tomb.

With a roar, she dashed to her left and threw a rapid series of punches, ignoring the stinging pain of the thorns of darkness that pierced her knuckles at every punch she threw. She eventually broke them all and her final punch, the strongest one, hit the tomb directly.

* * *

Elsword gasped for air, using his remaining strength to kick back the skeleton who choked the air out of his lungs. He hit it one or two times, but the enemy's grasp onto his neck barely got any weaker. Aisha was still unconscious from a heavy blow to the head next to him. He could not die here, not when his entire village depended on him. He still had a hold on his sword, but perhaps not enough strength to swing it with one arm. Even if he had trained, his weapon was too heavy to be wielded properly with only one hand. He had to be stronger, even just for a second. If he could muster the strength to get the enemy away from him, he could fight it.

The stone of the amulet Aisha had given him shone, and for a moment, he could see as if it was gathering energy all around him within it. All that energy rapidly overflowed from the amulet into his own body, and he felt an overwhelming power, enough to clench his sword and deliver a fast blow aiming right for the skull. The enemy instinctively leapt back, letting him breathe again. He coughed and took deep breaths, savouring the air that could finally enter. The wave of power had mostly dissipated, but he could still feel a bit stronger than usual. Aisha barely opened her eyes and mouthed something. He was glad she was still alive, despite having gotten most of the hits from the skeleton they were fighting.

The enemy's fiery orbs of mauve flames got brighter, and her voice was burning with rage. "I don't have time, I don't have time, I don't have time! I'll chop that amulet right off with your bloody head!"

She came charging back at him more like a beast than the agile warrior that had almost killed them both. He rolled under her, and his blade cut one of her legs clean off right under the knee. The enemy crumbled as she crashed through the statues behind him. It let out a low growl and glanced at Aisha, who could barely crawl away from where she had crashed. The skeleton summoned once again a blade of shadows to stab Aisha right over her back, but the room was narrow enough for him to swing his blade to parry hers. She pressed on her attack, but just as Elsword feared that he could not hold his defense any longer, the shadow blade began to crumble into dust and her closed fist along with it.

The skeleton cried out in a language Elsword could not understand as its body vanished.

* * *

Rena saw herself back on the citadel she had fled from ages ago, not the crypts but the pristine home she had known. Every building was back to what it once had been, lively and peaceful.

"Rena," Lua's voice called. Unlike her dreams, it was not a voice filled with rage, but the joyful voice she remembered.

The elf turned around to see her long-time friend standing with her short swords over her back as if she was ready to depart on a journey. One by one, the people she had let down by fleeing came next to her, all ready to leave through the main gates. None of them glared at her, and that unnatural tranquility made her increasingly nervous.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Where we should have gone long ago. Before the Darkness fell upon us," Lua answered, "It was a force too strong for us to handle, but those made out of the same darkness freed us. When you have the chance, thank them on our behalf."

Rena wished to move and go with them, tell them how sorry she was for leaving them behind that day, but none of her muscles moved. She was paralyzed there with tears forming in her eyes as Lua turned back to her one last time.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Rena. Live the dream we both shared."

Lua finally crossed the gates, and one by one, the buildings began to disappear until she was alone in a peaceful forest no different from where she had been traveling with the rest of her group.

It was all over.

* * *

 **I'm finally back, right on time for Thanksgiving (or Columbus Day).**

 **This was a challenge to finish, considering my schedule for the past month, but it was a very satisfactory chapter to finish. Hopefully, it'll be the same for you. Thank you for your comments and continuous support even during this two-month-long hiatus. I doubt I can publish again for November, but December will most likely bring a double-chapter update. ;)**

 **~Kalafinn**


	13. Chapter 12

**Merry (early) Christmas!**

 **What better way to celebrate this than with a double-chapter update? I've been so busy with college that when I noticed that this fic had over 1.7k views, I got really happy. I was inspired to finish up this and the next chapter to keep growing even more. Thank you for the reads, the faves, the reviews and the follows. I hope you enjoy this present!**

 **~Kalafinn**

* * *

The first thing that Rena saw when she opened her eyes was a wooden ceiling. It had seen better days for sure, but unlike the forests outside, she felt comfortably warm. The woollen blankets and the crackling fireplace reminded her of the vision she had had. She felt her eyes sting with the prelude of tears, but the poppies she had chewed dulled any sadness in her heart. It made her wish to sleep again, wake up when she could see that everyone was with her.

Then, she heard a bed creaking under someone's weight. The elf glanced to her right, where the sound had come from. She first saw a hammock where Aisha was asleep, her arms and right eye covered in bandages. On the bed below her, the elf saw Ain trying to get up, grunting as his clean bandages got stained with blood. His eyes lost and widened at an invisible foe he was ready to fight.

"Ain, don't move. You're hurting yourself," Rena said. She felt her mouth extremely dry and it made her voice croaky, "None of us are in position to move without making it worse for ourselves."

The priest frowned at her, but his trembling arms gave under his weight and he fell again over the bed. His emerald gaze filled with anger, staring at his bandaged fists, clenched as tightly as he gritted his teeth to drown a scream of pain. Rena tried to turn slightly to the side to look at him more attentively, but the effort awakened painful, burning needles over her right shoulder made her immediately stop. She should take her advice too. Yet, after seeing his panic transform into such seething anger at himself, Rena decided it would be better to talk with him now.

The elf could turn her head to the side, even that was painful, but much less so than shifting the weight of her body completely. The priest would probably not answer any questions about himself, but there were other things she wished to tell him.

"Thank you, Ain."

The anger in the priest's eyes faded momentarily away and he turned to look at her, puzzled, defeated, before staring at the hammock above him again. "I'm not the one you should be thanking. I failed."

"If you were right, we would not be here today.

" she paused, looking at the hammock above her. It should be Elsword's. Hopefully, he was recovering quicker than her. Had Ain not drawn that map at the cost of his own survival, their group would still be there and Lua would still be suffering under the Darkness. She looked at Ain again; he was covering his eyes with his hand, the other one clenched in a trembling fist, tense as his mouth mumbled some sort of prayer. It seemed to her to be his mantra to cast away the emotions that consumed him.

"Ain."

He suddenly froze, taking a deep breath, uncovering his eyes, but he did not even glance at her. "What is it?"

The details of their failed fight came back to her like a cascade. Ain was a spirit, she had seen him in his Celestial form, fighting against the Darkness that almost made the Ruben Forests die out centuries ago. He had risked much more than his life as a human to save her. He had risked his spiritual self and faced the terrifying Darkness without getting corrupted by it. It took a lot of courage to do things like that.

And sometimes, the bravest acts left the deepest scars of fears in one's mind; Rena had experienced it firsthand.

"Ain, you're much kinder and strong than I thought. Even if you think you didn't do much, what you did meant a lot to me. And I'm sure the others think so too."

The priest clicked his tongue and the frown that had soured his expression before returned, "That compliment would mean more for any mortal."

The elven woman slowly turned her head back to face the ceiling, frowning a little herself before her eyelids closed again, allowing her mind to rest before saying words that could become an unseen blade.

* * *

Luciela took the warm cup of tea Wilma had made for her and Ciel outside, sitting on the old, creaky wooden porch of the farmer's abode. The daylight was dying over the man-made clearing, big enough to hold wheat fields as far as she could see. Beyond that, there was the main road they had come from. She leaned back onto the wooden wall but grimaced in pain at the rough touch of the old wood over her back.

Her back still ached, but that pain was nothing compared to what the old woman had told her when she finally removed the bullets from her back. The bitter, old aroma of her cup was sweeter than her struggle to keep herself from cursing in demonic and blow her cover when they still needed help from the villagers.

Elsword, Aisha and Rena were still in a critical state, as for the self-proclaimed priest, Wilma herself said she was surprised he was still breathing. The winds were growing colder and rain often muddied the dirt roads they would have to take once everyone was back on their feet.

As long as snow did not fall, they had a chance to bring the El back. But the cost so far had proven to be too great. Would it be any different for the rest of the way? The demon countess doubted it. If on top of that, Berthe was assigned to finish Karis's headhunting, he would immediately notice what she had lost. Demons hunted traitors like vermin, but the true demons who lost their wings? They would humiliate them _and_ kill them worse than vermin. One of the thrills of an executioner was to rip out their victim's wings and keep them as a trophy. Without that, it was as if they had hunted a nobody. No hitman liked that and they made their sour mood known to their targets.

She could have lost an arm or a leg and she would have adapted to it. But her wings? The one thing that separated her from the lowly mixed-bloods and the abominations resurrected through necromancy? That was something no demon of her rank could ever fully accept.

The door creaked open and Luciela glanced at her right to see Ciel walk out and sit next to her. His clothes hid the bandages around his chest, but the holes on his sleeves and pants let see through smaller bandages, healing cuts and old bruises. Though she could tell he had tried to comb his hair, it was too greasy to forget the shape of the pillow he had laid on the night before.

"Good morning," she said, smiling faintly. She had had too many dark thoughts to manage more than that. Her lack of sleep did not make things better, "You didn't get much rest either, huh?"

He shook his head and sat down next to her with a groan. The mercenary had small eyebags and he was beginning to grow a beard. Luciela thought he did not look bad with one, but Ciel hated to look older than his age. "Not at all. Hopefully, I can get a painless bath and get my clothes patched up tomorrow."

"You didn't find anything your size?"

"Nope. We're in the village of dwarves, apparently."

The demoness chuckled, "At least you won't run out of fabric to patch your clothes up."

"If I use it all, Ain and Rena will be in trouble once they wake up."

Luciela gulped down the rest of her tea before looking away from Ciel, "It'd be better for everyone if that priest never wakes up."

He stared at her, his eyebrows furrowed like he used to when he was puzzled. Most who did not know him would have mistaken his expression for indignation or anger, but knowing that he was not angry did not make her feel any better. He could not know why she thought that way, for his own good.

"Lu," he began, "I wanted to talk about something bizarre I realized back there."

She remained silent. Because of their contract, she instinctively knew that he wanted answers from her. It was almost a demand. He had even taken the care to speak in the Lanox dialect so prying ears would have a harder time understanding what he would say. She had no reason to lie to him, nor that she could. Their contract tied their souls, leaving very little room for hidden feelings.

She would listen to him and answer in the same dialect. Knowing that he had her word and her attention, Ciel continued.

"I know that people don't remember two contradictory things. Those who do are either insane or under some spell. One of the two's a fake one. I'd believe it was part of that place's curse, but if that's so, the false memory would've been gone by now, right?"

Luciela nodded, "Yes. You and I know such simple concepts about magic."

"You wouldn't put false memories in my head with the power you absorbed, would you?"

She put the empty cup aside and looked at him, a frown souring her face, "Even if I could, I would never do such a thing."

Ciel turned to look at the fields in front of them; he sighed, covering briefly his face with his hands before rubbing his temples. "Sorry. 'Twas the most obvious cause I could think of. It'd make sense given what you said."

Lu shook her head, "That's immoral, Ciel. I can't tell you what I know, but I'd never manipulate your mind to hide it. What exactly is troubling you?"

Ciel thought better out loud than on his own, especially when he had not rested well. They had until midday before Wilma and her sons came back from the fields. If there was a moment to talk about their next move, this was it. Luciela supposed that by now Ciel had figured that priest's shady tactics.

"It's a damn strange thing. When we were down there, that blood and those marks on the walls...I remembered that Rena got back with Ain. But before that exact moment, I would've sworn Rena came back alone."

Luciela looked back in front of her, looking at her legs. She still felt strange wearing the ragged grey dress Wilma had given her. It had once belonged to her daughter, just like the pyjama she gave to Aisha. Just as she feared, Ciel had also realized his mind too was toyed with by a Celestial. She would not go as far as to explain everything to him, but she'd give him the right direction to look at.

"Maybe it's not me, but the person missing from your second memory who put a spell on you."

Ciel stopped rubbing his temples, but his pensive frown grew deeper, "If a priest had learnt how to curse someone's mind, I would've known their name long before we made it here," he clenched his fist and rested his chin over his knuckles, "And it'd be pretty damn risky for a criminal to willingly hang out with an executioner. I can't enter a town without my insignia, so he would've known from the start what kind of mercenary I am."

Ciel suddenly turned towards her. "Suppose Ain is a Convicted Mage no one knew of. If I were him, I'd have no reason to follow a Steel Cross for so long, even if I wanted to confuse the Church. It'd be a good tactic to leave a town, but I'd make sure to disappear the moment I'm a two-day distance from the town's gates. Between here and Feita, there's a lotta land for a man to hide before a report gets filed in."

Lu knew that Ciel was correct based on what he knew. But the missing pieces were dangerous knowledge.

Ciel continued with his hypothesis, putting together the events he knew. The mercenary explained that Ain could have stolen their map at any point and go to another village further north. There were five, and all of them were so far apart that it would take weeks to find out which one he chose as a temporary hiding. Ciel shook his head, dismissing that first hypothesis. The Plague was a threat too great to make any trips as a lone traveller.

Luciela agreed but reminded him that he had not much better chances in a group, given what that rogue spirit did to them. She knew what Ain was, but it was just as important to know what he aimed for. Once they had figured that out, they would know how to avoid him before things turned sour.

He nodded and added that, given the situation, Ain could have made Rena tell him how to get out and leave her to die.

"But instead he made his wounds worse to give us a detailed map and a strategy to beat that spirit. Ain doesn't speak nor act like a stupid man. So, he has a reason to tag along with all of us….And most importantly, Lu, you lied about how you found the map."

Luciela nodded. "Yes. To protect you and those kids from getting involved with even more of _them_ out to end us."

"So, he's someone you know."

"I do not know him personally. No more than you do. But Ain is the kind of person many of _them_ , including myself, would like to see burning on a stake."

"Why? He gave us the key to get out."

Luciela grimaced, not wishing to bore him with the extensive history of the Demon Realm. Anyone born there understood why Celestials had to be hunted, every tale about them made them the perfect targets for hatred. Not a single demon ignored their history nor the curse Ishmael attempted time and time again to bring to their realm. This world had not known their dark deeds, or perhaps the shorter time humans had to live made the cruelty of Ishmael and her Celestials fade into oblivion.

There was, however, something she found to make Ciel understand her.

"I'm fairly certain that many of the Convicted Mages were good people for those who knew them personally," she began, glancing at Ciel. When she had mentioned his victims, there had always been a glimpse of guilt in his eyes, but not today.

It was the kind of reaction she would have when talking about the people she had to kill to protect herself. Was Ciel becoming more like her? He looked at her and she saw that faint guilt. She had imagined things, she thought to herself. Ciel's heart was still human and it should remain that way. She promised him that much.

"But all Convicted Mages did things that Elrios cannot and must not forgive. A very similar thing has made people like Ain hate people like me and vice versa," she concluded.

"You're at war with Ain's people, is that it?"

It was not quite an all-out war, she thought. Demons and Celestials had not seen eye to eye for centuries, but animosities were still very much there. Something pulled a string at her heart; it was the feeling Ciel was hiding something from her, his blue gaze was no longer deep in thought, but shining brightly in realization.

"Why are you hiding your thoughts?"

"I think you're looking at all this the wrong way, Lu. If Karis or her assassins catch our trace, we'd have better chances to fight them off together. Like I said, Ain might be one of the biggest douches I've met, but he's not stupid. He has no interest in being discovered as the common target of all demons. And assuming the secret gets out, he wouldn't let his feud with demons be above his own survival if it came down to it. He'd be, at the very least, forced to work with us. Earnestly."

Luciela could not understand why Ciel thought that way after the priest had barely treated them like people, "Why are you talking as if you knew that priest would not simply flee like we should the moment they show up?"

"He's had the chance to betray us countless times and hasn't done so. And do you think he can, on his own, fight the hordes of assassins that will come for him? Do you think that we, on our own, have a chance now that we have nowhere to go?"

Luciela looked down, her lips pursed. Of course, they could not. She and Ciel were already weakened no thanks to Lua, and their last haven was being destroyed by the absence of El. Their next lone fights would be their last ones, she understood that well. As for Ain, he stood even less chances to survive alone. Karis would not send assassins to kill a Celestial. No, the rest of the demon nobility would unite their armies around hers just to track him down and kill him. Even at the peak of his power, the Demon King himself would have lost against such an overwhelming force.

"Well, Lu?"

Lu frowned, her jaws clenched before a sigh managed to cool down her reaction at the uncomfortable truth: Ciel was right.

"None of us would stand a chance. But even if both of us and the priest remain, getting the rest involved will get them killed. I don't want a kid's blood on my hands."

"They've been involved since Berthe attacked. If they're after us, they know we care about them. We leave and who's to say they won't use 'em as hostages?"

He was right. Karis's assassins would stop at nothing to get her and Ciel, "You think I can protect them every time? I have not regained my former power, you know that. And I lost my wings."

Ciel poked her horn, startling her, "Ow! What was that for?"

"They don't hurt unless they're growing, don't they? You stopped Berthe and you're gaining back power as far as they can tell. And everyone else can get stronger as well, so it won't be like Resiam. I don't want to repeat that either."

Luciela took a deep breath, "You're not wrong, but I don't know if those kids and Rena can grow stronger fast enough. And I don't care what happens to Ain. By the way, did you have enough to pay the seamstress?"

Ciel squinted at her, disappointed by how Luciela had cut the conversation short. He had perhaps pushed it too far, but he had only wished to let her see that she did not have to let her hatred stop her from seeing how things were. Even now, he thought, he was far from being as wise as Verni.

"I barely had any ED left on me, but I managed to bargain with her. We'll get gloves and winter coats about two weeks from now. Maybe an old slide if the snow falls early."

The demoness clicked her tongue, "That's barely acceptable. Wilma doesn't have horses, do you know if any of the ten people here own one? If we repaired the cart, we'd manage to cut the trip from six days to three, perhaps less if the horse is young and fast."

The Steel Cross mercenary squinted his eyes, trying to remember if the seamstress had mentioned anything to him, but his mind was blank.

"I'll go ask around tomorrow," he said, getting up, "Who knows, maybe I won't need to bargain anymore once Ain teaches me his secrets."

Lu chuckled, "If we both go right now and ask him very politely, I'm sure we'll know how to swap real memories with fake ones in no time."

Ciel shook his head with a laugh, "What if he's still unconscious?"

She smirked, "Oh, that's not a problem. A good bath by the nearby frozen lake will wake him right up."

"Don't be so mean, Lu."

With a smirk, he patted her head, making her hair messier than it already was.

* * *

Ainchase dreamt again of a battlefield. He could not see who was fighting who, but he knew for certain that he was merely observing the battlefield as any celestial would: looking down from above. As the faceless troops in grey advanced, his apprehension grew. It was as if the troops in white and blue armours were more important to his goddess than their attackers. Like the other nights, he froze time in his dream to try and understand why it could be so. The goddess had given him all the knowledge he needed for his mission, yet there was no battle like this one. The more he forced his knowledge to make sense of what he was seeing, the more he lost control; the soldiers stopped fighting and looked up at him. He saw their faces. No, those were not faces. They were pits where darkness overflowed in menacing shapes.

Dark cubes with blue and teal lines drew closer to him, growing in size as their geometrical traits formed a single form: A looming emerald eye that became his sarcophagus. Ain took a step back, only to have his chest pierced by a painful cube of that darkness. He could not make a sound as the manifestation of dark energy slid slowly out of him, melting his inners with invisible flames. He coughed and looked up, reaching out weakly towards the sole light his blurry sight could see. The goddess was there, where the light was. It did not occur to him that the light he had reached for was the source of his terror until it drew closer.

There it was, the menacing emerald eye staring at him with its iris made of countless spirals. A line crossed it from side to side and it opened to reveal rows of putrid teeth that smelled just like the elven corpse he had fought against. Then, it spoke again to him:

' _You will join us, Celestial.'_

When the mouth-eye was about to swallow him whole, his eyes opened, darting left and right nervously for a couple of seconds. A bed above, Rena to his right, a wooden wall to his left and his bandages dampened by blood. He was breathing heavily, his heart beating to the rhythm of panic.

The Celestial's gaze lingered to his right, hoping to find Rena awake. He had forgotten his pride; the fear had awakened his pain and he still felt trapped between the eerie silence of his dream. He mentally wished that his arm could move again to reach her, but, unlike how easily it had been to get up last time, his whole body did not answer to his wishes. It was as if he was tied down to the hammock.

When Rena's head slowly shifted towards him, her clear, green eyes chased the panic away. Thank the goddess his hopes were not too high. Rena's eyes widened as she focused on him. Ainchase would have looked at himself to see just how much he was bleeding, but now that he could move, he felt incredibly cold, shivering under his covers.

"Ain, what happened?"

He noticed that his lips were frozen in a vague smile, probably from the moment he felt relieved, and he immediately erased off his face.

"Nothing. Just the wounds. They reopened again."

The elven woman shook slightly her head. For the few days, she had found the strength to shift on the bed on her own and take a few steps with the help of a cane.

"That's not normal. Ain, are you really-?"

"I'm not," he seethed, a shiver running down his spine, "in any sort of panic. It's just the pain."

She was taken aback by his reply, her gaze widening briefly before turning away from him.

"In any case, I'm calling someone to change your bandages."

"There's no need for-"

"Do you really think so? Look at yourself, Ain."

While her tone was still quiet, there was a hint of her motherly scolding hidden within it. He tried to move again, but it was again in vain. A shiver ran down his spine, but it reassured him. He tried again and, while he felt his body to be much heavier, he managed to lift his arms enough to look at the bandages that wrapped his arms until the palm of his hand. He could smell the blood and the balm's mixing in a foul smell. It stung.

He did not have the time to say anything before Rena was already hollering Wilma's name. Ain could faintly hear the rapid creaks and steps over the wooden corridor somewhere further down his feet. The leaps of silence in between were far too long to be from Wilma or her sons. It could only be one person. A demon who had no business with him. His fear burned into anger, strengthened by another succession of shivers that sent passing waves of heat throughout his body.

As Ainchase suspected, Ciel opened the door and walked in the small hall in-between Rena's bed and his.

"What's wrong?", the half-demon asked the elf, his back to him.

"Nothing, demon. Turn around and close the door."

Ciel turned around and his eyes widened, he took a step back, "How long have you been like this? Dear El...how are you still talking?"

"I'm alright. Just give me something to dull the pain, but not strong enough to put me to sleep."

The Steel Cross nodded and turned back to Rena, "I'll be right back."

And so he left in the same hurry he had come with. Ain stared at the elven woman.

"It doesn't matter how bad I get hurt in this form, you should know it. I don't need the bandages. I just need something for the pain."

"If you start walking like that, Ain, people will find it very suspicious. It's not my place to talk about where you come from, but I assume you'd prefer to not stand out."

 _"Natürlich."_

He managed to smirk weakly, realizing that he had forgotten completely what he had set to do when he came here. Maybe it was because of this that the goddess did not want him to get involved with mortals. And he had forgotten that, just like he had forgotten momentarily that he only wanted to blend in enough to accomplish his mission. Fear was a terrible thing, and he was a pitiful Celestial.

 _"Natürlich. Ja, natürlich."_

That is what made him chuckle as he felt the room get increasingly hotter. Ain did not even notice when he started shivering again, nor when Ciel came back until he lifted him to put clean bandages over him. Under normal circumstances, he would have pushed him away, but he felt burning and was shaking too much to do anything about it. Someone else, perhaps Aisha, got in and an ice blue spell drowned him in freezing cold. Some time passed, people stepped away, voices went away and then, complete silence. Silence and darkness.

Ainchase opened his eyes wide, wondering how much time had passed since he had woken up for the first time. He remembered vaguely his conversation with Rena, but some other details were foggy. The Celestial felt his mind clear and his pain to be much lower than what it had always been. It was almost as if he was completely healed.

He turned around towards where Rena's hammock was and saw that Ciel was soundly asleep, sitting down on a chair. His blue hair had grown longer, some white strands were growing over the tips of his hair, lit up by the distant moonlight. Ainchase sighed and tried to sleep again, but he could not. His dream was always the same. That darkness would come back and the night was already too oppressive for his taste. Clouds covered the sky and the moon was in its last quarter.

It was so dark, Ainchase feared that Henir's energy could somehow slip through it.

"Can't sleep either?" Rena's whisper chimed in.

"It doesn't matter. I can sleep during the day."

"You should get as much rest as you can, you know? You were delirious with fever a few hours ago. Aisha had to stay to cool you down for almost an hour."

Knowing that shocked him, but it made a lot of sense, given the gaps in his few memories from the moment he had awakened from his nightmare to this moment, "I see."

"Then, try to close your eyes and sleep, alright?"

He frowned, lowering his gaze for a minute, silently clicking his tongue, battling between his pride, his emotions and his reasoning before answering her.

"I...should not do that now. Not when it's this dark."

"Why?"

"It's just too dark. I can't relax."

It was embarrassing, he knew it. Ainchase expected her to laugh at him and turn around, but instead, her shadow seemed to nod. All elves knew very well how to sing, and although Rena's voice was no louder than a whisper, it carried a soothing melody in old elven. The goddess had not taught him much of the elven language, but he could understand just enough to grasp the general tale of the song. It was about stars and fireflies. Not long before the chorus, small wisps of spiritual energy gathered around the room, giving their yellow-green light softly to the darkness, making it less ominous.

Although he tried to focus on the song and its story the best he could, trying to learn elven on his own, Ainchase felt his eyelids grow heavier and he finally gave in to a night's sleep where his nightmares did not come back to haunt him.

For the next days, Ainchase had begun to make his way to a successful recovery.

* * *

Ever since they had come to Wilma's home, Elsword could not help but notice how their team had naturally split. Ciel and Lu would be away for most of the day, getting up as early as their hosts, spending their whole day helping people here and there the best they could so their group did not run out of money before reaching their final destination. The young knight admired their hard work, and he only wished that he could do as much as they did. Rena was already regaining her movement, leaving only Ain bedridden, though he had gotten better. Everyone but Lu had, at one point or another, taken care of him. Despite his injuries, the priest seemed to be in a better mood as days had passed by.

Once again, Elsword was at the back of the barn, where a broken cart stored all their old belongings. It had been three and a half weeks since he had held his sword in his hands. The air was sharp and cold, each breath was another cloud over the steel sky. Even with the gloves, woollen blazer and pants he had borrowed from Wilma's sons' old belongings, he felt the wind cool his fingertips.

It was the prelude for the first snow, falling only a few days earlier than usual.

The red-haired boy reached out for his weapon, his muscles already stretching painfully as he took the cover off the cart, sending the heavy cloth flying with the breeze before it fell over the dry dirt ground at his feet. His sword was, by all means, still a training weapon, with a curve, almost dull and made for harmless fencing. It could knock people out with enough strength, but its sharpness laid on the sides, bevelled so sharply it could cut a wielder's fingers if they had the misfortune of grabbing the weapon without its scabbard.

That edge had only been there ever since Lowe sent him to fulfill this mission, warning him that he had to prove to be worthy to wield a weapon for the good of Ruben. After he had been so close to dying, without retrieving any clues about Banthus, was he still worthy of his weapon?

The boy's hand wrapped around the grip, stinging his hand with painful frost. It was glued with ice to his bag, which a thin layer of ice had also claimed. Elsword pulled the weapon carefully, still feeling his bones creak at the pressure and effort he was putting in. He would pull harder, but that would perhaps shatter his bones again. It was a battle between his will and the sensitive nerves, hurt muscles and bones that still had not fully healed.

And the pain won.

"Tch."

With a frown, Elsword loosened his grip and looked at his hand, burnt numbed by the ice. If only he could heal faster, the young knight thought, he would have no shame in facing Lowe again.

"Still trying to shatter the ice?" a familiar voice squeaked behind him.

The boy turned around to see Aisha, a heavy fur coat wrapping her to her feet and a woollen tuque covering most of her hair. Winter had not yet come, and yet she was dressed as if it were freezing outside. A bandage covered her left eye, her broken arm hanging under her coat with a cloth sling he only saw the knot of behind strands of her hair over her nape. He was half-expecting her to mock his weakness, but he did not wish to be the one to throw the first punch. If she taunted him about his weakness, he would fight back with her nonexistent tolerance to the cold.

"Yeah. Are you here to grab your gambeson?"

The mage shook her head and walked next to him, gathering mana on the palm of her healed hand. He could now see the sparks of blue energy slowly burn in a ruby red before transforming into a controlled fireball she made hover over the hilt of his sword. The ice dripped away, then she made the fireball hover over the sheathed blade until the ice was no more than water drops rolling down over the scabbard. The flames vanished, but her mana was still there, shifting from her hand over most of her arm as she grabbed his weapon and lifted it as if it was made of hollow wood.

She then reached out to give his sword.

"Here."

Elsword blinked a couple of times, trying his hardest to see if she was not using her mana to play a trick on him.

"Hey, you've been coming here every day to sulk alone. You wanted your sword back, didn't you? It may not look like it, but it's very hard to enhance my strength with mana, so better take your weapon before I end up dropping it."

"Uhm...ok. Thanks," Elsword hesitantly said, grabbing his weapon back. It was heavier than what he remembered, but he still could carry it with one hand. Why was Aisha doing this? He did want his weapon back, but he was in no shape to practice his skills. He came here to test his strength recovery, but maybe his bitterness had made her think that he was sulking around. Then again, why would she follow him? Aisha had always shown more care for her books than for anyone else.

She then pointed at him, more specifically at the amulet hanging from his neck, "I don't know how you did it on instinct back then, but when you were fighting that skeleton...you absorbed the mana from her attacks to empower yourself. If you could master that, you'd become faster and stronger despite your injuries."

Elsword tilted his head at her, his brows furrowed. Aisha stared at him for a good minute, as if she expected to say something, but seeing that she had only confused him, her cheeks flushed and she cleared her throat, needlessly combing her loose hair behind her ears, "I mean, if you knew no _actual mages_ to know how to do so, you'd be only be dreaming of becoming stronger faster! Right?!"

"Are you...are you really offering to help me?"

Aisha rolled her eyes, pouting as she kicked a stone over to him, "Yes, you dummy! For the El's sake, it took you longer than a granny crossing the desert to get it!"

Somehow, her attempt at belittling him in such a childish way did not anger him anymore. In fact, it made him crack a smile, then a chuckle. And, just as unexpectedly, Aisha's pout softened into a smile as his laughter died out.

"Well, Elsword, do you want me to teach you?"

The red-haired boy nodded, "Of course, Aisha. Is there anything I can do in exchange?"

The sanderian mage shook her head, "No, it's fine. I mean...you protected me already from that monster. It's my way to repay my debt."

"I insist."

Aisha's sighed, " Knowing you, we'd be here all day arguing about it. Fine. I'd need someone to spar with against my staff. But that's only after you learn how to control the power of the amulet I gave you."

With a confident grin, "I'll make sure to finally get payback for making me trip the other day."

The same fire of determination burned in her eyes as she crossed her healthy arm confidently and looked down at him, "Don't get too ahead of yourself. We'll see by then who can get payback for what."

Just then, Ciel's voice called them from the barn's gates. The two kids turned around, surprised to see that snow had already left a sheet of white over the ground.

"Fighting again?" the mercenary sighed as he approached them.

"No, Ciel. We weren't." Elsword reassured him.

The blue-haired man had a bag of cloth over his shoulder, his clothes so patched up by mismatched shades of black, blue and grey that he looked closer to a beggar who had taken a bath and shaved rather than a mercenary.

"Well, that's very good. Elsword, Lowe wants to see us in fifteen minutes."

"All of us?" Aisha wondered, "Ain and Rena are still in no shape to move, everyone knows that."

Ciel grimaced briefly and, for a moment, Elsword could swear he caught the glimpse of small fangs. They seemed sharper than before, though the boy thought he had never taken a good look at them to tell for sure. It was impossible for fangs to grow in the span of weeks.

"Yes, but that's why he insisted on seeing us in the room where they are. Elsword, I warn you right now, Lowe is not exactly...very calm about things. Ann and Hagus came with him too."

Elsword clasped his sword, reminding himself that they had not lost everything. Lowe could have a thousand valid reasons to be angry, but as long as they persevered, the El would be back where it was needed. He glanced at Aisha and they both nodded.

"We'll be there soon. Do you need help with anything?" the boy asked.

The half-demon shook his head. "If you could go ahead and make sure Ainchase's bandages are ok before Lowe gets back here, it'd be great."

Aisha frowned at the mercenary, "Sure, but what are you going to do in the meantime?"

Ciel waved his bag a little, "Ann was kind enough to bring some stuff for me, Rena and Ain. We're much too tall and poor to get proper clothes here. I already left Ain's and Rena's in their room."

"Oh..."

The mercenary turned around and walked away, "Well, see you later."

The two kids walked back and Aisha broke the silence, glancing at him. "Are you nervous?"

"A little. But...as long as we live, we can still succeed, right?"

She smirked, "Probably. And Lowe can't be as scary as Rena, can he?"

Elsword shivered at the memory of Rena's scoldings. "No, Rena is on a whole other level."

"Then, keep your head high. He'd expect that much, right?"

She was right. Lowe had trained him as a proud knight. It was the time to show him that he was no longer a kid who had not been into a true battle.

* * *

Meanwhile, Banthus had been forced to stop, keeping a fire barely alive as the wind howled outside the cave he hid in. While the snow was falling peacefully elsewhere in the forests, the closer he got to the White Mist Swamp, the soft snowfall metamorphosed into a strong snowstorm, dropping the temperature so much the former captain feared his fingers would rot with frostbite.

Yet, he knew enough magic to create a weak spark of heat within his mana circuits and warm his hands and feet just enough to keep frostbite away. He could not do the same for his nose and ears, but his hair and the woollen scarf one of the phorus had brought for him kept the pain of dangerous frostbite away. He glanced at his mount; the horse was at its limit, his breath trembling, short puffs that nervously inflated and deflated its abdomen. Ice and snow weighed down its black mane. Maybe this was its last night.

The thought tugged at his heart, but there was not much he could do to make the horse stop shivering. It was as close as it could to the fire, but if Banthus was barely feeling the heat, the animal was most likely not feeling anything at all.

The imposing man got up, brought the bag he had unsaddled from his mount and sat next to his mount, patting with his warm hands the black horse's back, hoping to warm it, even if it was just a little. The horse nickered, turning its head towards him so he could pat it too. With a sad smile, Banthus did so, almost certain that the horse was growing calmer, forgetting the cold.

"You're the best horse I've had, Solare. Going through half of Ruben's forests like it's nothing."

His horse nuzzled him as if to reassure him that he would live to follow him another day. Banthus increased the spark on his mana, hugging the animal's neck, hoping that he could do just enough to warm them both. If only he had left the moment Wally threatened his family. If only he had not turned back, both Will and Liam would not have seen the anger in his eyes and would not have lashed out against Elder's tyrant.

And from that point on, Wally would have nothing to blackmail the El Search Party with. No high-ranking officers to report for attempted coup to the Centurion Guard, no hired brigands to assault the El Search Party's headquarters while they awaited their process from Velderian authorities.

If only he had not lost his temper at that one moment, almost six months ago, the El shard would still be there and Will and Liam would still be alive.

"Solare, don't add your name to the list of friends I've had to bury because of that single mistake."

Just as Banthus feared that the fire had died out, the flame got stronger and the wind's howl grew suddenly quieter. He quickly turned back, Solare blowing at the sudden change of temperature. One of the Totos was there, next to an unmasked Phoru, so thin that his sickly fur appeared to be the only thing to cover his skeleton. A magic barrier of some sort was keeping the cold outside as if it were a door while the smoke of the fire seemed to have vanished. It was the sign that it had been created with magic.

"You are closely approaching the right place, Banthus Evans," Toto began, ignoring his companion, whose stomach was cruelly growling, "The Ancient One is already awaiting your visit. That is the reason behind my protection. You and the animal badly are surviving the cold. It worried the Ancient One."

Banthus nodded, but his attention was often taken by the nervous, starving Phoru, who had begun to munch the fur on the tip of its paws to assuage his hunger. The former captain took out from his bag a small beef jerky and tossed it to the hungry Phoru. The phoru squealed happily as it reached out for it, but the moment Toto turned towards him, it stopped.

"Toto, he can have it. He's starving much more than me."

The Phoru looked at him and its deformed nuzzle made quiet, distorted squeals until it finally could form the shadow of a word:

"...Eenks."

"No problem, pal. Eat up."

The Phoru nodded and grabbed avidly the jerky and savoured every small bite it took with its twisted fangs. Before, Banthus would have been terrified of the creature, but now that he knew the Phorus had all been human before, it became part of his duty to save them. Stealing the El Shard had endangered the lives of many, but it could just as well lift the curse Lua had imposed on just as many innocents. Once the Ancient Phoru told him how to reverse the curse, he would accept any judgement the Centurion Guard and the Church of Ishmael gave to him.

One thing was clear in his mind: Wally would have to pass over his dead body to get the El Shard.

Toto huffed, shaking his head at him, "Banthus Evans, you seem to overestimate the extent of my power. I cannot create food to ensure your survival. You must not waste it."

"It's not going to waste, Toto," Banthus answered, grabbing a jerky for himself before giving the last one to the hungry Phoru, "I know I'm only half a day from the White Mist Swamp. There's enough wild berries and game to satisfy my hunger over there."

"Time. You might not have it for hunting."

"That's where you're wrong. If the Ancient Phoru wants to see me that much, it will let me hunt and eat. Otherwise, I would starve before getting to him."

"Fair. Still, giving food away is senseless."

"Not as much as you think. You do it for your family, for your friends and for those you call companions. Right now, you're my companions."

Toto remained quiet for a moment, looking down. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, yet immensely thankful, "Banthus Evans...I think this is the first time I have felt something...an...an emotion. Why is that?"

Banthus smiled, "You're closer to become human again, Toto."

"Am I? Am I truly?"

"Yes. Because I'm closer to free every single one of you from that witch's curse. I'm a man of my word, Toto."


	14. Chapter 13

When Elsword and Aisha made it back to Wilma's abode, the snow was falling harder, the wind transforming the horizon into thick curtains where the other farms hid, save for the lights of an approaching chariot. With the snow, it would take it another ten minutes before it made its way in the farm.

Luciela was already in the living room, sitting as close as she could to the fireplace, warming her reddened fingertips. She turned around at the sudden chill that entered when Elsword opened the door, covering her arms with her numbed down hands.

"Welcome back," she greeted them, raising an eyebrow at Elsword's sword, "you could finally get it out?"

The boy nodded, "Yes. Is Lowe already here?"

"No, not yet. He will soon come here, so I figured I could make some tea for everyone once I unfreeze my fingers."

Though she had said so casually, Luciela was already fuming at the thought of what kind of attitude Ainchase would give her the moment she served him a cup. At this point, she might just have poisoned his tea, but Ciel was so adamant about her trying to be nicer that she humoured him. The priest would still spit on her face, but since Lowe was going to come, they better show a façade of happy-go-lucky teamwork.

At least, that was the only reason Ciel had, in her mind, to nag her so much about making tea.

Aisha raised an eyebrow at her as she slowly took off her coat, "Wasn't he coming to Rena's and Ain's room? I don't think they can walk this much, let alone sit."

The demoness shrugged, turning her hands near the fire so the back of her reddened fingers got also warmer, "Apparently, they both insisted on coming here."

"Lu, I'm grateful that you use your time to do odd jobs to keep us afloat, but, don't you think it'd be just as important to check on Ain?" the red-haired boy asked.

Luciela scoffed, "There are more chances to see the sun rise west than for that priest to let me in. And I have been doing better now that I cannot hear him as much. I still cannot believe Ainchase has not kicked Ciel out, knowing how much of an ass that priest is."

"Lu, why do you hate Ain so much? He came up with the plan to-"

Luciela took a deep breath, "Yes, Aisha, I know that he risked his life to rescue Rena, drew the map and came up with a plan to get us out, but that changes very little to how things stand. I despise him, he despises almost all of us. And he is not the kind of person who would stop being rude to everyone but Elsword."

Elsword and Aisha looked at each other silently, for one moment too many in Lu's mind. She raised an eyebrow at them, "What? I am only saying the truth, you know it."

The young boy hesitantly nodded, "Well, Lowe should be coming any moment now. I'll go see if Ciel needs any help."

The mage nodded and soon followed him to the corridor straight ahead, leaving her to contemplate the quiet crackling fire and the muffled howl of the snowstorm. The demon countess groaned and, with a frown, got up and made her way to the kitchen. The tiled floor was recently scrubbed clean and the cupboard where the tea was laid above the counters, way too high for her current height. The demoness looked around for any stool she could use to climb up, but found none. To make matters worse, she knew for a fact that Wilma kept her kettles in the cupboard right next to the tea. The way she was now, Luciela knew she had no other choice. There was only one way to reach out that high without breaking the floor with her gauntlets.

"May Sult curse your sudden urge to scrub everything here clean, Wilma," Lu seethed as she clenched her teeth, her body shining as her demonic energy was unleashed in a brief explosion of blue.

The deep indigo blue dress that covered her was made of her mana and she had to focus to keep it around her body, just like the small dress she had thorn through with her sudden change of height and curves. Her back was scarred with the stab wounds left by the undead and phorus she had fought. While her flames made every part of her body glow with outworldly power, her lower back, right on her spine, was a spot of weakness. There, the scarred skin, burnt to cut an infection, was a serpent that cut the mana circuits and nerves which were crucial for her wings to grow. Though she could not have known it at the time, similar wounds scarred Ainchase's shoulder blades, wounding his spiritual essence more deeply than what anyone could have imagined.

Luciela took out what she needed swiftly: a spoonful of tea leaves, a steel strainer, a kettle, cups and a tray. There was no sugar. No cream. No sweets. The demoness frowned at the thought, but quickly shook it off.

"The priest does not deserve that much anyway," she heard herself mutter as she put the kettle over the coal stove and turned back to her childish appearance.

She leaned on the wall on the opposite side of the stove, waiting for the water to boil. Until she heard slow steps creaking their way to the living room she had left minutes ago. There was Ciel, naturally accompanied by Elsword and Aisha. Her servant was helping Ain walk and, surprisingly, not only was the priest letting him do so, but he did not have any remarks for him. Rena was being helped by Aisha, Elsword only walking by in case any of the two injured tripped over.

The priest's hair had grown longer, she noticed, and he was combed differently too. His side tress was smaller, though it followed his bandaged shoulder, hanging like a rope like the other locks of his grey hair. Like everyone else, he had not had a haircut in a while and it showed in his long bangs, which, from where she stood, covered his eyes. The moment he sat, however, Lu saw him push his long bangs slightly back with his bandaged hand as well as combing the rest of his shoulder-length hair over the clothes Lu could only assume Ann had given him.

It was almost an exact replacement of his previous attire, though there were no golden highlights to be seen and just half as many carefully sewn details as those he had before. Still, the way he looked now was as haughty as ever before. Now, he had long and surprisingly well-kept hair like the so-called princes who polluted all novels Aisha had lent her. Even with his more humble clothing, he fit perfectly that trope. Luciela had disliked those chivalric princes in the books, even if she still ended up binge-reading them one after the other. Still, seeing that trope in the flesh was annoying.

The kettle whistled and Luciela got back to the task she had begun, dropping the filled strainer in the kettle before hurriedly taking out of the fire and cooling the flames instantly with a simple ice spell. As she was getting the cups on the tray, the conversations she heard seemed to be out of an imaginary world.

"Are you sure you're ok, Ain?"

"It's a little uncomfortable, Aisha, but I can't stay bedridden forever. We still have a mission to fulfill."

"Even so," she heard Ciel say, "if your fever spikes again, we-"

"I can assure you, Mr. half-demon, that I have taken better care of myself so my fever stays down. I'm seriously concerned by the El's whereabouts, specially after what we faced. Who knows if that spirit was not an indirect consequence of the El's absence."

Did she hear that right? Was Ainchase Ishmael, of all people, calling Aisha by anything else than Wizard? No, that was not the most shocking thing. He had called Ciel Mister. And he had not simply called him demon like he did to her, but he had specifically called him a half-demon. He had made that distinction on his own. Why?

Once all the cups were served, Luciela took the tray and walked carefully out of the kitchen, making sure not to spill anything on herself. There, everyone was gathered around already.

Wilma's living room had been rearranged with extra chairs in a semi-circle around the fireplace and, of course, the bloody stool she had been looking for was there. Ain and Rena sat side by side, on two separate chairs in front of the fireplace, Ciel to their right and Elsword to their left.

Rena grunted weakly, straightening herself over her chair's back. And, just as Luciela walked closer to the group to offer them tea, Ainchase's arm reached out to Rena's to support her. His injuries were, even now, worse than Rena's and yet he had completely disregarded that to help the elven woman.

"Don't overexert yourself, Miss Rena."

"It's fine, Ain. You shouldn't push yourself either. You've had it worse."

Luciela stared at them, blinking a couple of times at what she had just witnessed. Ain had not only called someone other than Elsword by their name but he was helping someone other than himself. Earnestly. As if he had always been that kind of person.

"Who are you and what did you do to Ainchase Douchebag Ishmael?", she asked shamelessly.

The priest turned slowly around and frowned at her after Rena stabilized on her chair, "Well, aren't you a rude one?"

Everyone's eyes were on her, Ciel's had a spark of anger while the rest were surprised. Soon after, three strong knocks on the door caught everyone's attention and Ciel got up to answer the door, giving her only a glance to order her to give out the tea in the meantime.

"Anyhow," she said, clearing her throat and walking next to Elsword first and foremost, changing her voice to the tone Lowe and the other visitors were used to "I brought tea for everyone!"

She had forgotten how her innocent smile was painful to replicate, but she trusted her skills. That was enough to, once again, not raise suspicions. The cups were taken one by one, until only Ain's, hers and the visitors' were left on it. Hagus and Ann were the first ones to sit down, talking briefly about the cold, but neither the demoness nor the Celestial were paying attention to it.

"Don't you want some?", Lu asked between her teeth, widening her smile ever so slightly to stop a frown from souring her expression.

The priest looked down at the tray, his sharp green gaze as dark as she had ever known it. That was the first step back to normalcy. Good. Whatever had taken over him before was gone. Actually, now that she thought about it, it was because of his long bangs that his gaze looked darker. He pushed away the hair over his eyes, revealing his true expression. Then, he slowly took the cup and she realized his gaze was shining with heartfelt gratitude.

"You made tea for all of us? Thank you, little elf."

He took a sip and smiled softly, "It's really well-filtered. It mustn't be your first time making tea and it shows."

"No...problem," she muttered, flabbergasted by his sudden change. Was he doing it on purpose? It had to be. That priest had to be amused beyond his mind by seeing her so confused. Once there was only her cup left, Lu noticed there were no chairs left. She figured she could as well sit on the floor, like all kids did. As she sat, she saw it: that smirk Ainchase had as his bangs covered his eyes again. It was the irrefutable proof to her theory; Ainchase had only acted this way to mess with her.

She coldly glared at him, mentally cursing him, but once Lowe called everyone's attention, she looked away. Whatever the man would tell them right now would change their plans, she felt it.

The newly appointed captain began by informing them of the reasons behind his visit. He had already expected them to be in Elder by now and before he could say anything else, Elsword nodded gravely.

"We would have reached our destination if it weren't for a spirit that took us hostage."

Ann's and Hagus's eyes widened.

"The Ancient Phoru? Why would it do such a thing?" the pink-haired woman worriedly asked, warming her hands clasping her cup as if it were going to fall.

Ainchase shook his head, "No, it was not a Phoru. Far from it."

"It was..." Rena began, gritting her teeth, looking down at her cup in silence before looking again at the people around her, "It was a dark elf. A threat I should have dealt with before. The Elder of my village had sealed her away, but that was only a temporary solution."

A dark elf? Lu raised an eyebrow at that explanation. The energy that oozed from those ruins was far closer to the ones of a powerful undead spirit. The demoness looked down, taking a sip of her beverage, realizing suddenly why Rena had said it was a sacred place: those ruins were the grave of hundreds of elves. Elves Rena herself had, most likely, once known.

"Rena, it wasn't something anyone could have dealt with on their own," Aisha said, "What's important is that we defeated her."

Lowe shook his head, his grey eyes colder than ever before, sharply looking at them despite the tiredness that ate away the youth of his twenties, "I disagree. Explain exactly what went on back there. We can't ignore anything just because it isn't there anymore."

Once again, Elsword was the one to answer him, talking with a surprising confidence. It made her wonder how distant she had grown from everyone else, perhaps even from Ciel. The demon countess tossed that thought away, reassuring herself that Ciel and her had a lot more history that some kids, an elf and a priest could not change. Their fates were bound and she would never lose that. It was inconceivable for their friendship to fade away when, at the end of the line, they could only have each other.

Hagus sighed heavily underneath his beard, closing his eyes as Elsword finished to tell them how fearsome Lua and her Phorus had been. He was considerate enough to omit the mention of her true nature and Luciela reminded herself to thank him for it. Lowe frowned, covering his mouth with his fist, glancing down before clicking his tongue and finishing his tea. Ann's shock only transformed into sadness, or perhaps pity. Lu could never tell which one it was when that woman closed her eyes and her eyebrows curved over her forehead, suffocating a sob.

"Captain," Hagus began, "If Elsword and his friends are still here, it's possible that what we retrieved-"

"Then who got that shard out there? Banthus had it. If that was the place he died, how did the huntsman see the shard near-"

"You found...Ca-Banthus's whereabouts, captain?", Elsword timidly asked, lowering his head, turning his thumbs for warmth under their bandages, his red hair falling over his eyes. Aisha and Rena looked worriedly at him, though their broken limbs didn't let them show their support. Ciel looked to the side, frowning. Luciela was the only one who knew why Elsword's pain towards Banthus was almost his own. Though their stories would certainly have a different outcome, Ciel, when he was Elsword's age, had lost someone very precious to him by trusting the wrong charismatic man. He had refused to tell her more than that and she had not insisted, knowing all too well that treason left deep wounds. However, Elsword's heart was too noble or perhaps too innocent to change his grief into something more sinister. Luciela could only hope it stayed that way. Demonic justice did not suit that child at all.

Lowe's cold mask broke after a heavy sigh and he looked at Elsword the way a father talked to his child, "Elsword, we only found the empty carriage he took, which had bloodstains on it. Two horses were given to the huntsmen in Haden. The last one, Solare, we don't know where it is."

Elsword managed to look back at him, the fire of determination still burning in his eyes, "That's Banthus's favourite. He must have taken his stallion somewhere. Where did the huntsman see the El?"

The three members of Ruben's council glanced at each other and Ann took a small pouch out of her dress' pocket. It contained pieces of a map, so old some of the Elrian runes were unrecognizable from their modern writing. It got Aisha's and Ain's attention and the mage put them together with a divination spell.

Rena's eyes widened at the location it depicted, "This is the path to the White Mist Swamp. How could he have gotten such an old map?"

"The path to that natural temple was thought to be lost centuries ago. Who gave him that?" Ain added.

Hagus nodded, "That's what we don't know. But we believe the guide he was seen with is the one that gave it to him."

Ciel squinted at Lowe, "A guide? What did he look like? If he knew the path to a forgotten temple, there's good chances it's a clandestine sorcerer. With a brief description, I could find out the name."

Ann straightened up in her chair and looked at him, her eyes full of hope, "Oh, that might just be our best clue! There can't be two like him. The huntsman told us it was a dwarf with a wooden wolf mask. He heard Banthus call him Toto. There can't be too many clandestines like that in the Church's records, I'm sure of it!"

Ciel's blue gaze lowered, seemingly deep in thought, but Luciela knew it was completely the opposite. That description did not fit any of the major clandestine sorcerers who were still on the run. Ann got a sketch she had made out of the huntsman's description and that only made things more confusing for everyone. The man was not only a dwarf, but his face seemed to stretch towards his mask and he only had four fingers, all aligned and sharp like claws. The man on the black stallion to his side was certainly as tall as Banthus, but he was drastically different from him. His strained, thinned out figure underneath the muddy fur coat could have been from any other brigand. He had Banthus's horse and his sword, but it was a stretch to say the one-eyed bearded man who had clearly not taken a bath in months was Banthus.

"This is becoming quite bizarre," Lu said, forgetting to change the tone of her voice.

"Lu?" Ann asked, "have you caught a cold?"

Realizing her mistake, Lu cleared her throat and took a sip of her tea, "My throat is bugging me sometimes, Ann. But Ciel is helping me get better!"

Lowe's grey gaze stayed on her for a long moment, doubting her more than ever before. The demoness had no one to blame but herself for letting her guard down. It had been too long since she had seen those three and she had hoped to never see them again. For their own good. Hagus was also looking at her, though with much less coldness than Lowe.

"Did you have something to say, Lu?"

Luciela let out a long 'hmm', childishly furrowing her eyebrows, but she was thinking not so much on repeating what she had thought before, but on how much she should say. Lowe had clearly not completely bought her act yet, and she was not sure now if he would be fooled. Something bad had clearly happened in Ruben if they were this far and had found out more than what they had done in the same time lapse. Somehow, she had to turn that conversation to that.

"I just thought the men in Ann's drawing are weird. Ann, is your shop still open? Or did you close it while you came to visit us?"

It was a very roundabout way to get the conversation into the right direction, but anything else would get Lowe too suspicious. They all knew Ann and her were like sisters and that question was innocent enough. The shopkeeper's reaction, however, was worrying on its own. Once again, she had that look that could have been pity or grief.

"Lu...things haven't been going so well in the village."

The demoness had half-expected that answer, but nothing could prepare her for what Ann and Hagus would unveil to them. The last shards they could extract from all sorts of broken equipment were not strong enough to remain pure for more than two days. And so, more and more farmers, the hunters and even the fishermen had to throw away about half of their work because it had become affected by the Plague. Not only that, but some villages had to evacuate to the poisonous air that had surrounded them. Those who remained or stayed a day too long died of a sickness no doctor, nor healer nor priest could cure. They had to bury them far away from the surviving farmland, sometimes weeks of travel into the forests because their corpses spread the Plague even faster.

Under such dire conditions, Hagus had kept sending letters to Hoffman - a rich Velderian merchant he had known for years - and he had sent them grains and supplies for cheaper prices than what any merchant would ask for. Once every two weeks, a small pouch of El Shards came along, powerful enough to make the Plague step back for two yards. It was not a big difference, but some plants did not need much space to grow. Everyone thought they could endure those hard times just like that.

Until a final letter came to Hagus's door.

Hoffman wrote, angrily, about the situation in Elder: paid brigands vandalizing the commercial district, Wally borrowing money from the bank of Senace as if ED were mere gambling chips. He imported Sanderian silver and Lanoxian gold with ED to refill the coffers of his State. Of course, the conversion from ED to the Sanderian coin and tariffs left only more debt to the town's name. The people of Elder were starting to have to bring two handfuls of gold Elderian Royals to pay for a single loaf of bread. And, because of this, Hoffman had two choices: cut his help to Ruben or pay astronomically high prices to get the same ressources from Feita or Velder. The second one would not keep himself, his commerce guild nor the remnants of the Elderian economy afloat. So, with a heavy heart, Hoffman had to let them down.

However, the supplies Hoffman had sent them the last time he wrote were more than enough to keep Ruben and the refugees from other villages alive. It was his parting gift, in a way, and it could suffice. As long as they took away Wally's crown soon enough.

"Crown?" Aisha asked, a frown on her face, "Elder is, as far as I know, a city. Not a kingdom."

"Wally did something very...questionable," Lowe answered, "He decided to pass an act of independency from the Velder Kingdom and proclaimed himself king of Elder and the Northern Lurensian forests. Of course, with brigands working for him, I'd assume his court had no choice but to accept."

"Velder shouldn't accept the decision," Ainchase intervened, his quiet voice poorly hiding a hint of anger, "Wally might perhaps be a noble, but he certainly cannot secede from the kingdom. They'll send their forces to take him down."

"I'm afraid the central kingdom's final decision will not help us, even if we knew for sure that they sent troops our way." Hagus replied, "If they take their new airships with them, it'd take them theoretically two months, but there's nowhere to land an airship safely. We live in the middle of mountains, lakes, swamps and miles of virgin forests. Reaching Elder from Velder takes more than half a year by land and it can take even more than that by the sea if the winds are not in their favour."

"That means we're stuck with Wally doing what he pleases for the next year, huh?" Elsword gritted his teeth. It was the first time anyone had seen him this black hatred burning in his red eyes, who were usually so bright, "I can't let him ruin my village and Elder like that. As a knight of the El Search Party, I can't stand it!"

"Elsword, for that, you have the support of my troops," Lowe added coldly, "We will march as soon as spring comes again. We have to make sure everyone can make it through the winter before we strike."

Ann nodded, "It's important that you follow those two to the White Mist Swamp, even if it's not Banthus. But please, don't harm the Ancient Phoru. It may be the only thing that's making the Plague slow down."

Lu's eyes widened, "It's slowing down?"

"We don't know if it will keep doing so," said Lowe, "but we can only hope that, after this storm, you can still follow the trail of those two and take the El Shard from them. Neither of us has any time to waste. Ruben and Elder need you now, adventurers. We can only buy you time."

* * *

Their meeting with Lowe, Ann and Hagus had dragged on until past midnight, when the storm calmed down. Although they could have stayed the night, they had still a half a day to go before they reached the last village that between Ruben and Elder. They only left them with two health extra health potions and not much more, given the village's precarious situation. Luciela went to sleep in the room she shared with Ciel, who had agreed to leave his nightly vigil to Elsword.

From the forgetful darkness, a dream emerged; Lanox's alleys emerged from the fog around her. It was not Lanox, she soon noticed that. The paved streets had fields on both sides, long and endless as the ones of Ruben. It was a village in the suburbs of Lanox, close enough to see the fiery lights far away on the paved road she was walking on, but far enough so that the noise and filth from the town of blacksmiths did not even come. Though Luciela had no idea why she was in a place she had never known, she walked on and on, hearing the birds chirp and the breeze carry the smell of the fields of garden centres and the vineyards around her. It was peaceful even if the evening sky was blood red and the moon was already up, a white and ominous observer that shed its light over Lu's shadow.

After a hundred steps or so, she saw him; A young boy with navy blue hair, no older than ten, carry happily a cart full of cut firewood to a home made of stone to her right. She was in Ciel's dream, she thought, and when she looked at the open door waiting for him, Luciela understood it was no dream. This was Ciel's nightmare. That home was the one he lived a normal life. The man who was about to step out was the man who betrayed the family's trust inevitably.

A young girl with curly sky blue hair held in two loose pigtails screamed, her childish voice was so high-pitched that all the birds around the house's yard fled.

The young boy's eyes widened, his boyish voice hoarse as he ran, screaming back his sister's name.

"Terre!"

The cart's contents dropped on the ditch of the road, clobbering away the last remnants of innocence in Ciel's eyes.

He crossed the yard, running frantically, tears in his eyes until the culprit stepped out, his arms, forehead covered in countless runes traced with blood. He held the little Terre by her hair, a dagger close to her neck. Ciel stopped, his sister's eyes were red from how much she had screamed and cried.

"Lefaucheur," Ciel stuttered, calling the name of the man who had given him a job, his mentor, the one who had made him discover magic and the organization who did things right when the government could not.

"Caelum," Terre quietly called out, "Caelum, brother..."

"Shut up or I cut your throat," Lefaucheur hissed. Then, he looked at Ciel with a demented smile, his violet eyes shining with bloodlust, "Caelum Thaxra, my best lad. The young prodigy! The Organization thought I was suddenly gutless, worthless. But I just came up with the right ritual to surpass even the strongest necromancer!"

"Let my sister go, you sick bastard!"

A strong wave of mana swept like the wind the fields around him, Caelum's eyes were filled with rage.

"Sick bastard? Caelum, you, out of all people, should know there is no more potent blood magic than the one made with a young maiden's blood."

Luciela looked away, Ciel's cry echoed in the darkness, blood splattered on the grass and the sound of a punch to the back of the head ended the scene. But she was still there, her heart beating with fear as another dreamed emerged.

She was again in the mansion she had grown up in. A toddler slept peacefully in the cradle in front of her, his hair wavy like hers, horns dark like his father's and, behind those peacefully closed eyelids, eyes as blue as the ocean. It was Belegor, her child to a man she had been forbidden from marrying. As was the custom, her father had to clean her honour and kill the man she had loved. Her only comfort, back then, was her son and her closest ally: Barkat.

Luciela heard three weak knocks on the door behind her and allowed whoever was behind her to come in.

Barkat stepped in, smiling as he always did. He stepped quietly as soon as he saw the sleeping boy.

"Good evening, Madam Mara Russiela Lurelle."

Lu nodded at her with a smile, "You ought to call me only Russiela, Barkat. We've known each other for four and a half centuries now."

"That's certainly true, madam," the green-haired servant said with a smirk. It was the first sign of treason, but Luciela could not have known that yet, "How is the little Belegor Zimeri doing?"

The demon countess looked at her child, patting softly his head, mistaking his soft breaths for a deep sleep, "He's starting to speak more nowadays. He can't quite pronounce everything right, of course," the memory brought her a smile, "So, to him, mommy's name is Luciela. And we're both part of the Sourcream family, because we make the best sour cream cakes."

A few seconds of silence ticked by and before Luciela could ask her how her day had been, Barkat got up, his voice suddenly cold, "Don't you think you've had enough time pretending you're a worthy leader of the Soulscream clan?"

"What do you mean, Barkat?"

"You had a child with a servant, Russiela. You sullied the clan's reputation in the court, to all of our allies."

Luciela glared at him, "You are a servant yourself. Don't overstep your bounds, Barkat. Our allies depend on my power and will not speak ill of me nor my son as long as we protect them."

Barkat's grey eyes grew even colder, "That's where your logic fails. Your son is your only weakness and your only downfall. The spell should have taken over by now."

The demoness exploded, unleashing her demonic flames, "What did you do to my child, you bastard?!"

A ray of demonic energy was charging itself in the palm of her hand and just as she was about to reduce Barkat to atoms, chains imbued with Celestial magic wrapped around her palm, nullifying her spell, absorbing her power.

"You...How dare you-" Luciela hissed before dozens of chains pierced her chest, leaving her breathless.

Luciela fell down, noticing that the divine energy Barkat had forced on Belegor had reduced him to a skeleton as more chains emerged from his corpse to pierce her body. She could not speak with a chain through her throat, but tears rolled down her cheeks. Barkat walked closer to her, a victorious grin on his face.

"How dare I what, Russiela?" he sneered, "How dare I use taboo magic from the grimoires you keep? Simple. It's because it's the only thing that can bring you down. I will bring this clan to the very top without you and your sentimentalism. I'll be the new Demon King."

"Release me...", Luciela gagged, using her unstoppable strength to fight against the chains that tied her down, "Untie me right now...and I'll at least spare your life."

"Kuhahaha! You don't understand it, do you, former Steel Queen? The more you move, the quicker you'll die. You're helping me by fighting uselessly like that!"

Luciela opened her eyes wide, sitting suddenly on the hammock next to Ciel's. He had also woken up, though his fear was only reflected through teared-up his eyes.

"That was..." Ciel whispered, "Was that...how you-"

"Yes, Ciel," she answered, laying back down to hug her covers, trembling like a leaf, fighting against her tears, "but don't ever call me by my real name. That name...that name will inevitably doom us. And it always, always reminds me of that night. Luciela or Lu...those are safer names and they bring fonder memories."

Ciel nodded and swept the tears away from his eyes, "Did you see my dream or was I only in yours?"

"I saw. And I suppose calling you Caelum is not something you want me to do."

Her servant weakly nodded, "My parents thought giving me a name in ancient Lanoxian and one in modern Lanoxian for my sister was aristocratic. We were poor, but that was apparently enough for them to pretend to be rich. I always wished to have a name in the same tongue as my sister's, given how close we were."

Ciel took a pause, sweeping tears away again, "So she came up with it, one day. When we were out on our own, playing, she would call me that because she knew I...I liked that. And that was the alias I took ever since."

"Did you get that sick bastard?"

Her voice was trembling and her vision was blurred by tears, but after seeing the most painful memories they had hidden away from each other, there was no other appropriate reaction.

"I did. But no matter how much harm I did to him, how much I heard him scream and degrade himself in that basement for days, the pain...the grief...it never left. It stayed right here, more alive than ever before."

He took a deep breath, broken by the tears he could no longer hide, "And that's why I tell you, Lu...revenge ain't worth shit. It won't revive your son Belegor, it won't bring back things to what they were. It leaves nothing. The only cure...is just having more good people around you. People that'll make you laugh, regain your faith in the good side of the world and let time heal those wounds."

Lu nodded, moved by how close their minds were at that moment. She could see what he was feeling and so could he. Though she knew it would be hard to change, there was an undeniable truth to Ciel's words. Killing Barkat and burning her empire to the ground would never bring her peace. And, maybe, feeling the same way towards Celestials and their magic was not the right answer either.

* * *

Ainchase had trouble falling asleep again, especially after all he had heard from Lowe, Ann and Hagus. How could he sleep when things were so many possible threats to the El around them and he could not trust everyone around him?

Almost like every other night since his sudden fever almost three weeks ago, Rena called him, softly so Elsword would not wake up when he did not need to.

"Miss Rena, you don't have to shorten your sleep for me every time, you know?"

"Last time you turned me away, you woke up with a fever. Ain, I'm not sure why, but your emotions have worsened your health when they're too negative. Talking things out has helped you, has it not?"

The priest sighed, "Yes, I suppose so. For the most part, your counsel has been the right one. Although, not when it came to that demoness. I told you their kind is just the lowest kind of scum. My kind is fated to exterminate hers."

The elf sighed, "I know that you can't help hating each other because of your shared history. But, aren't you wording it too strongly? Fate...fate is your decisions, it's what you make out of life."

Ainchase squinted at her in the darkness. What a strange idea, thinking that fate was malleable. No, the goddess thought and created every being with an ultimate goal in mind. Only mortals unaware of her divine design could foolishly believe that their choices made up their fate.

"The goddess gave life to this world. Naturally, she'd give an ultimate purpose to everyone living in it. Miss Rena, fate is not malleable."

"You told me you were afraid to stray away from your mission by growing closer to us. It's been half a year and you're having fun with us, you've saved us and you've ultimately grown closer to us. Does that mean that Ishmael changed your fate or that you took conscious decisions to make your fate change for the better?"

The goddess had always told him to stay away from the matters of the mortals to accomplish his mission. Yet, had he done so, he would be either dead in Lua's trap or trapped in Ruben by the snow, unsure of where to go next to find the El Shard or how to travel to Elrianode and restore the El. He would not have met Elsword, the boy who had such strange affinity for the El.

The goddess had left him with one fate: the fate of the lone servant. That fate should have been absolute no matter what he did. And yet, here he was, in a group of mortals that, while incompetent in battle, had little by little pulled him closer to his goal.

"Well, Ain? If Ishmael changed your fate, couldn't that mean that she can change it again so you can reconcile that deep-rooted hatred for two out of the hundreds of demons out there?"

"Why would I benefit from reconciling with a demoness?"

"That demoness broke the curse that held us back and she and Ciel the best fighters that can still move, you and I being better than them in some regards. If there's anyone who can protect Elsword and Aisha in the White Mist Swamp, it's them. Specially Lu. And she has protected those two kids already."

"...Changing my fate in that regard is a small, very minuscule, possibility. Good night, Miss Rena."

The priest turned around and pulled his woollen covers over his head, unaware of the smile Rena had on her face as she wished him good night.

The following day would be the day where the tiniest of possibilities given by fate would be put to the test.


	15. Chapter 14

**I live!**

 **My, this chapter took me a long time...But from now on, I will take even more creative liberties with the canon lore, which is why I'd like to know your thoughts on this first step. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed finishing it the way I envisioned it. That said, the next chapter will probably be in 2 months. My schedule is not as flexible as it used to be, sadly.**

 **Until next time!**

 **~Kalafinn**

* * *

Snow covered the path Toto was telling him to follow, and Banthus could tell that ice had made the virgin snow hard as a stone. The way it glew under the sunlight left no doubt about it. The former captain got down of his mount to see just how thick the layer of ice was. Two steps down, he felt his foot slide slowly under him. If he was careful enough, he could make Solare cross through, but he did not know well this part of the forests. With a click of his tongue, Banthus turned towards Toto.

"I'm still not sure why you had to destroy that map you showed me, but are there ravines on the path we're walking on?"

The wolf-masked creature turned towards him, tilting its head, "The Ancient Phoru wishes to renew its fellowship with humans. You need not to know why, accept it as part of its invitation."

Banthus nodded, glancing at his horse before looking at Toto again, "do you think my horse can make the trip all the way through?"

"We already are within the Ancient One's territory and He will protect you as well as your property. That is a true promise. If you must doubt my words, you could leave your mount here. But you must know hungered hunters are knaves."

The one-eyed man looked down, his sigh was only an ephemeral cloud that escaped from his woollen scarf. He gave a pat to Solare's back and softly took his reins to guide him through the ice. Toto was right, he had noticed that villagers were not travelling as much as they used to. And the fields he had seen from afar were mostly half-empty, circled by small el shards. Banthus could only hope he could undo Lua's curse before the lack of El affected any village directly. His steps were careful, his only eye looking for any patches of snow that were duller, somewhere he could not slide on. Yet, he soon noticed that despite the shining surface, his feet were not sliding over the ice. Solare was walking as he would do on heavy snow, unaware of the ice.

Banthus looked to his right and noticed leaves were blossoming on the nearby trees, the frost was melting under a warm summer breeze and, not more than twenty steps later, Banthus could almost swear he had travelled back in time, to the summer where he had witnessed how vile Wally had become. He lowered his scarf and took off his heavy fur coat, tying its sleeves around his hips. There were no traces of winter here, but there were shadows of Phorus and even some of the same warming lights he had seen before he lost his eye hovering in the air like fireflies. They got closer to him, their soothing magic surrounding him and almost completely erasing the fear and bitterness autumn and the beginning of winter had brought with them. He noticed that neither his hair was no longer resting on his shoulder blades and that his beard was not covering his collarbone. He saw a nearby lake, so pure it reflected the sky and he got closer to it to look at his reflexion. He looked as if he had truly travelled back to the summer, save for his eye. Only the ugly lump of scarred tissue remained, crossed by the few stitches he made to himself. He had passed out trying to tend to his wounds properly, once the fever had settled in. It was no wonder it had healed so poorly.

The Phorus approached him. Their deformity no longer caused him terror nor disgust, only sympathy and pity. Although they did not speak to him, they were very interested around Toto, staring at him, getting closer, then leaping back. It was then Banthus noticed some Phorus were taller than others, some reaching the height of a bear on is two rear legs. He glanced around to see if the other Toto he had helped was around, but there was no luck. A finger poked his shoulder, making him turn around to see who it was. The second Toto waved at him.

"Banthus Evans. My wish to you is a warm welcome. All the Totos wish the same."

"Good to see you again, Toto."

At least twenty Phorus turned towards him, tilting their heads. They all had yellow eyes and the tips of their claws, no matter how skeletal they were, had the same colour. That was probably the way to distinguish them from the rest. Other had orange eyes and rust-coloured claws, the ones who were as tall as bears had magenta eyes and claws. The former leader waved at all those who had turned at the mention of their name.

"Hello, Totos. Thank you for welcoming me here. Same goes to the rest of you."

He swept the group of hundreds of Phorus with his eye and they soon looked back at him. And so, he continued, "I'm sure you already know, I wish to reverse the curse Lua the witch put over your shoulders. And I'm a man of my word," he whistled and Solare trotted towards him. Banthus untied a cloth bag from the stallion's back and revealed the El Shard to them, "I might not be a mage, but I do know this is the only thing that can help you. But the same is true for the villagers that live around these forests. I need the knowledge of the Ancient Phoru to find the fastest way to free you and protect the villagers I swore to defend when I became a knight."

Something rumbled in the distance, the trees shook as if something gigantic was swinging from them. But there were also steps of an even taller Phoru. And the sound of a rusty sword being dragged over stones. Banthus held the grip of his sword on instinct, ready to get the first strike at whatever was coming. It had to be two people, or two more spirits. One of the two Totos pulled on the sleeve of his jacket. He glanced at the Phoru for a second.

"Do not be hostile. The Monkey King is not an enemy."

"The Monkey King? Does it have a sword or is there someone else?"

"It is the second protector. The Forgotten One. The Ancient One's younger brother. He carries no weapons but its fangs and fists. Only William carries human weapons."

Banthus flinched at the mention of the name. He remembered the cruel curse Lua had used to defile the corpses of his men. It was hard for him to control his guilt when the tallest human Phoru emerged from the forest, lazily letting their sword drag behind them. The weapon was long and still sharp enough to cut someone in half in one swing and the two men who shared the same rodent body were excellent knights. Yet, their grey faces looked more defeated than anyone else's. William sat down, far from the rest of the Phorus, their blue rags getting shredded and tangled by their claws and their weapon. Will's face slid to the empty eye socket and when their eyes met, Will soon looked away and perhaps convinced Liam to get up again and go back into hiding.

Banthus furrowed his eyebrows, his eye stung and his heart covered itself in lead, painfully sinking down. The one-eyed knight gulped, the knot in his throat bitter as his heart cried silently, picturing some sort of miracle ritual he could to at that very moment to end his men's misery. Yet, he knew all too well that could not be. Banthus closed his eyes, took a deep breath and faced the giant, black and grey gorilla that was approaching him, its ruby gaze speaking of ages before the first rubenians, perhaps before the first elves settled in these forests. The beast was almost half as tall as the oldest gigantic trees, making everyone else seem ridiculously small in comparison.

The same lights that had given his old look back danced around him as solemnly as a court would honour a monarch. The beast huffed, its gaze focused on the El Shard he had taken out. And then, it spoke. The Monkey King's voice was a tingle at the back of his spine that sprung upwards, only to be heard within his head as loudly as if it had roared.

"Banthus Evans. You say you wish to undo the curse that made the Totos, the Mars and the Brure. And you say you wish to assuage the pain of the villagers. You cannot accomplish any of those wishes. Your body is not as strong as your resolve. Your mind sharp in battle, compassionate to those you cherish and true to your heart. And yet, it is not cunning enough to solve both problems."

Banthus, although intimidated by the beast, would not simply agree silently to what the Monkey King had told him.

"If that's the case, why would I be invited to this place?", he clenched his fists, thinking about the success of his plan. He felt less afraid now. His mind was determined to get past the doubts the Monkey King wished to sow in his mind, "I don't think you or the Ancient Phoru would invite me, send a Toto to keep me safe during the journey to this place and let me speak to you if you both thought there was no way I could at least accomplish one of my goals."

"That is correct. I know there is a small chance you can make true one of your wishes. And my question to you is this: Which one would you choose?"

Banthus fell silent. He had always told himself he would first and foremost help the Phorus, but the hunger he had seen in the villages had made that resolve waver for days. The Monkey King growled softly.

"If you wish to correct the mistake you made to the villagers, give me the El and I shall bring it where it belongs. And you will also be brought somewhere you can be judged by the humans."

From the corner of his eye, Banthus saw Will again, peeking to what he was going to say. It made his choice even less clear. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so tightly he felt blood softly slide down his palm. Banthus knew he was to blame for the suffering of the villagers, and that he deserved to be put in a cell for it. But that humid darkness was the home of new nightmares. And he would have let down Will and Liam again. Nothing would ever repair that. They would slowly lose their identity as humans, becoming as mute as the masked Totos were when he first met them.

"No, I don't want that."

"It is the most desirable choice for any human."

"It's not!" he hissed, looking up, directly at the eyes of the giant gorilla, "Because I would regret having the power to heal the scar that Lua left on hundreds of people and doing nothing with it."

"You understand that none of the Phorus will return as a human, yes? That wish will ultimately free the human souls from the cell of flesh Lua gave them."

"Even so, I wish to do it."

The Monkey King held his gaze fixed in his for a long moment and Banthus did not look away at any point. Finally the Monkey King sighed, "If you wish to bind your fate to appease the dead, so be it. Be very careful, Banthus Evans. Humans who surround themselves with spirits often join them."

The Monkey King turned away from him an leaped back into the forests it had come from.

Will and Liam's gazes were fixed on him. Even if they could not cry, their expressions were fixed in dry sobs they could not hide. They were infinitely grateful to their commander, and they could feel that the same feeling was overwhelming the rest of the Phorus as well. They were all looking at Banthus, their minds collectively agreeing on aiding him so he could break the prophecy the Monkey King had given him.

The second oldest spirit of the forests had never been wrong before, but there had not been anyone who wished to change that willingly. Until now. No Phoru had never completely forgotten they had once been human and they wished to at least die as one. If, on top of that, they could help those who still lived, their long years stuck as unnatural spirits would not be completely meaningless. William picked up their sword as they had often done before and walked before Banthus. They made sure to stay far enough so the smell of their rotten flesh would not disturb their captain.

"Captain," Will began, sliding his head so he could easily look at his superior, "everyone here is extremely grateful for the choice you took."

He impaled his long, rusty blade on the ground as Liam slid his head to look at the captain too, "I know we look like monsters now, but," he knelt in front of his captain, "please allow not only us, but every Phoru around here to become your new brothers-in-arms."

Although they bowed and they could not see the expression on their commander's face, the small chuckle he gave was familiar.

"How can I refuse that request from my most trusted men and those I promised to save? I can't make all of you knights even if I wanted to, but I accept every single one of you as my comrades. You deserve it."

Will and Liam looked up, offering a small smile at the man they had served for years. They had feared the encounter with Lua had completely broken him, but that was far from the truth. Both former knights were all the more happy for it. The masked Totos were smiling too, underneath their wolf masks.

The earth shook under the heavy march of the Ancient Phoru. It appeared from the plains behind the lake. It would be impossible for anyone to walk so firmly in the stagnated waters beyond the stream that was born from the lake, but the Ancient Phoru controlled its land to his will. The waters split as he made each step forward. The white, horned beast was as long as the lake itself and even on four legs, it was as tall as a century old tree. On two legs, it could have eclipsed the sun from any Phoru in front of him.

"Banthus Evans," its ageless voice echoed in everyone's minds, "The Monkey King informed me of your choice. I am glad I was not mistaken when I decided to renew my ties to mankind in this grim era."

"Grim?" Banthus asked.

"There have been more demon sightings across my forests. Some even unleashed old curses like the one in the Ancient Ruins. Undoing that evil is, in my eyes, the first step towards a more peaceful Era."

The one-eyed leader nodded and showed the Ancient Phoru the El, as one would offer a sacrifice to a god. The white beast stared at it with its green eyes and made some of its mana flow into it with only a short huff. The El glowed and a wave of light spread through the forest and beyond.

"I believe that might have given more time to the villagers. Most of them will survive the winter. And the spring harvest will be bountiful. Now, follow me. Unlike my brother, I believe you have what it takes to fulfill both of your goals."

* * *

Banthus could not tell how time passed in the White Mist Swamp, but now he understood why this place was called that way. The swamps, when the Ancient Phoru was not around, were hidden so well by clouds of mist it created the illusion that what laid beyond the swamp was nothing more than more forest. Even when he was up close, it wasn't until he was in the middle of the first cloud that the thick mud and smell of stagnated water made the scenery clear.

He had to be there to cut wood from those trees to make the masks the Ancient Phoru would later imbue with its ancient power and put it over different phorus. Those with orange claws were the Mars clan and those tall as bears where the Brure clan. While Banthus did not make any precise shape with each mask, the magic made each clan develop a distinct mask design. All Totos developed wolf masks with yellow marks around their cheeks, the Mars had fox masks and the Brure developed boar masks. Each one had their distinct clothing and speech manner. In that regard Will and Liam were quite unique from the rest. Sadly, that also meant that they could not have any mask just yet. The magic that had transformed them was too strong and the Ancient Phoru feared it would spread into the El.

But one day, the ancient spirit said to him, the curse would be weak enough to release their souls too.

One of the boar-masked Brure came to him, running in its new blue outfit like a tall, furry human.

"Boss Banthus," it hollered as it slowed down, its giant club of wood hanging like a sword over its back. It was panting and, once it took a deep breath, the boar-masked spirit continued with its croaky voice, "Boss. People. Nearby. They mention you's name 'n they armed."

Banthus got up, hiding back the El Shard in his bag, dropping his half-finished mask on the ground, "Thanks for keeping an eye out, Brure. Have they injured anyone?"

"They has Toto. Toto who travel in you's company."

Banthus frowned, "Tell the rest to not fight back. We don't need anymore injuries. See if the Forest fairies can help you with their golems and distract them so other Totos can take the one they took to the Ancient Phoru. We need His help if Toto is injured."

The Boar-masked Phoru nodded, "Yes, boss."

As it ran away, it made a roar, gathering hundreds of pixies who gathered around bushes and trees, bringing them to life as knights to use as distractions. While that same spectacle had scared him in the Ancient Ruins, the magic the fairies were using was so bright and natural it was awe-inspiring to see them bring to life golems from nature. Those trees were not there to hurt him, but help Toto, he thought, and that was perhaps what made all the difference. Banthus called for his mount and Solare came right to him, its hooves pounding the muddier ground near the swamp. Even if the terrain was difficult, Solare was still protected by the Ancient Phoru and he could dash as fast as he did on the best stone-paved roads in Velder.

Banthus patted its neck and mounted swiftly, "Alright pal, we gotta find the Ancient Phoru. And fast."

He clicked his tongue twice, spurring his stallion so it dashed straight to the small temple where the Ancient Phoru would always speak from.

* * *

Luciela thought she had fully healed before they ventured inside these forests. Although the weather was significantly warmer, the demoness still felt the soreness of her bandaged wounds. The cold, perhaps, was what was making every stride more bearable. And once that was gone, every punch and leap reverberated, menacing to break her healing fractured bones again. A small voice in her head warned her that her pain was from even older wounds, but she dismissed it.

The demon countess punched through a final golem, sweat dripping down her forehead. She was forced to use her true form to make the acute pain over her barely healed injuries as brief as possible. Besides, Rena was not there to heal their new scratches and neither Elsword nor Aisha were fully recovered yet. The demoness did not wish to see them both return badly injured again. There were no healers around, at least not one as talented as Wilma in Foldengard. The hunters of Haden preferred to simply pray to nature to cure those who had grown weaker. She only regretted that her magic could only heal her and Ciel. It would be worse than poison for anyone else.

The steady wood creaks behind her alerted her of the presence of the same moving trees which had attacked them. Unlike their last battle, Luciela was already expecting the muffled crawling beneath their feet as the roots of the moving trees caved their way to them in a circle to surround them.

"Aisha! Use your scroll, now!" The demoness howled, piercing an incoming golem with chains of demonic mana. It would not kill it, but she was draining its mana steadily to keep Ciel from fainting. Once she knew he had leapt in the air, propelled by the heavy recoil of overcharged mana bullets, Luciela made the earth crack underneath her feet and jumped herself. The young wizard had Elsword next to her and the teleportation scroll in her hands glowed with magic. Its light blinded her for an instant, but when her sight returned, they were right in the place they needed to be: behind the trees. Luciela swung with all her might the dying golem and its body of stone, earth and wood tore open the half of the trees that attacked them. The hit was a hammer tearing through a brick, sloppily cutting it in half.

The demoness was out of mana and that only made her demonic power increasingly unstable. She had to turn back to her child form and hope no other foes came for them in the next four hours. And that was assuming her lack of wings had not slowed her mana regeneration down by more than fifteen minutes. She took a deep breath, swiping the sweat off her forehead.

"So long for asking that guide some questions," Aisha mumbled.

"We still have a shot, Aisha," Elsword said, his ruby gaze burning with determination, "I think we're actually closer to the real swamp now."

"You wish. I can't control all too well where this scroll was going to take us. We could be stuck here for a month again!"

"Maybe not, " Ciel replied as he looked to his right, clenching his fist to keep himself alert. Lu lowered her gaze and walked towards him, putting her hand over his fist before handing him her last mana potion. While her servant silently thanked her and drank the potion, the two kids had focused on the strange fog that Ciel had only briefly looked at before.

"That's not quite mist," Aisha began, mana circuits flashed above her temples, increasing the keenness of her sight, "But that place is without a doubt a swamp."

"I told you!" Elsword grinned, "Come on, guys! We gotta run!"

"I am pleased by such enthusiasm," Lu said with a long sigh, "But I have no will left to run. And neither does Ciel."

"Oh, poor little Lu. Should I carry you piggyback style?" Aisha mockingly asked, "That way you can scout for enemies better."

Luciela shook her head, as if she were looking for something "Oh, this is not good at all, Aisha. By the El, I think you lost it for good."

The mage furrowed her eyebrows, "What?"

Neither Elsword nor Ciel knew how to put a halt to the incoming and inevitable fight as Luciela still pretended to look for something. They glanced at each other just as Lu stopped and looked at Aisha with a smug smile.

"You lost your sense of humour, Aisha. Judging by your confusion, it must have been gone for a long time."

Then she turned towards the rest of the group, leaving Aisha to, "Lead the way, Ciel. We have a mounted fugitive to catch. Elsword, Aisha, I'll close the march, so walk side by side."

The half-demon raised an eyebrow, but nodded at her order. Elsword followed, but Aisha was more reluctant keeping to her right, where the duchess' felt more sore. The group roamed about the forests, following the mass of white fog that covered the horizon more than a concrete path. There was not any to begin with, only patches of grass, vines and dried mud that were easier to walk than the rest of the forest. Luciela glanced to her right every five steps, her hearing focused on any sound that might be either a phoru or another golem.

If anything came their way, she'd have to leap upwards and shred the enemy with her left hand. The pain she was feeling on her right hand was strange. It had been a while since she had felt the numbing pain Barkat's curse left on her body. It was a bad sign, she knew it well. The pain had never appeared this clearly again since her escape. Aisha had to go in front of her so she could protect her. Seeing her from the corner of her eye was not enough.

Luciela grabbed Aisha's shoulder, "Go in front, now."

The mage glared at her, "Why should I? I'm good enough here."

Luciela stared at her broken arm, "With an arm like that? Go in front. If you were in good enough shape to deal with an ambush, I wouldn't insist."

Aisha groaned, "As if you were that much better."

The demoness frowned, but did not say a word. She could not pretend that she was in perfect shape, but she had no broken bones, no healing sight. Aisha was lucky she had not lost her left eye, but she would most be left with a scar over it when she took the bandages off tomorrow, Wilma had warned them about it.

When they least expected it, the weather got suddenly damp, the fog clouded whatever hid more than two steps in any direction. The group got instinctively closer to one another, each one holding their weapons. Luciela's next step splashed icy water onto her legs. She looked down and saw she had inadvertently soaked her leg up to her knee. No one but her seemed to have made her mistake. The reverberating pain over her bones was growing. Why was the remnants of that spell awakening now? This place was even deadlier than the elven grave they had escaped from. Ciel was the first one to look at her and soon enough, Elsword and Aisha followed. The silence was absolute and they could clearly hear a horse trotting towards them.

The way it sounded made no sense to Luciela. It was coming from the direction where she had stepped into the lake. It was not solid ground. Anything that ventured there would have made the waters splash around it. To her surprise, she felt the water retreat to the sides from her leg, soaking both Aisha's and Ciel's feet as it passed through.

Aisha raised her shield and formed a fireball from her fingertips, tearing a hole into the fog. The fire revealed a hooded rider and the masked guide mounted on one of the biggest stallions Luciela had seen in Elrios. The magic dispersed just before it hit the beast and two men on its path.

"Banthus!" the mage hollered, charging another fireball. The hooded figure straightened up, his hood falling down, revealing a very different image of the muscular and proud man Luciela remembered. Whatever had happened to him, it had scarred much more than his eye. The way he looked back and nodded revealed to her that the man was not alone. It was as if he had expected running into them here. The demoness heard the water mutter even further away, at least by more than ten trees, leaving the ground completely dry. Her bones were hurting more than ever before. Elsword's and Aisha's breath slowed down.

Every sensation that led to her son's death was repeating itself.

Without hesitating, Lu used her demonic magic to absorb until the last drop of mana Aisha could have used, negating the effects of the spell that was being cast. The mage fell to her knees, exhausted. Luciela did the same to Elsword, making him immune to the spell. If it entered the body of someone who either did not know how to shield their mana circuits or had very little mana running within them, it could not burn them inside out. Ciel was shocked by what she had done, she could tell. But she could not explain it to him. Not now. She transformed in a blaze of blue demonic flames, feeling more powerful than ever before, even if her current power came from a human's mana and was not the power she had lost.

"Leave it to me!", she ordered the rest of the group.

"Lu! Come back!"

"Lu, stop! We don't know what's behind Banthus!"

Yes, she knew that. Both Ciel's and Elsword's calling should have brought her back to her senses. But not this time. Whatever hid behind the fog, it would not take the lives of more children. She would never allow it. That was why she had learnt to control the scars she was left with. Chains of demonic energy reached out into the fog, piercing something gigantic, she could tell from the almost limitless mana reservoir she felt pouring into her body from the beast her weapons had latched onto. She felt it pull on the chains, with enough strength to almost make her lose her balance. Luciela, however, had slayed beastly kings in Rigomor who were as big as her enemy behind the fog or maybe just a tad bigger. She let go of the chains, commanding her with her mana to wrap around the legs and burn the beast while she leapt above the fog.

And instead of a blue sky, she saw the gigantic face of a horned rodent. She was so close she realized her full height was barely the equivalent of the pale pupils of the white beast's eyes. This beast, whatever it was, was bigger than any beast demon from Rigomor. The beast growled at her, freezing the air around her in place. The beast might have frozen time as Lu could neither move mid-air not fall again on the ground. She let a burst of flames out of her hands, breaking free from the grasp, grateful to feel the air again, even if she could not fly any higher anymore. The demon countess set her gauntlets ablaze, spinning them to form a small explosion summoning circle to dash gracefully back to the ground, where she could see her chains burn the beast. She would have to take them back and form a tempest of demonic flames to even scratch the beast. And she knew exactly where to aim: the beast's eyes.

"Foolish demon," an ageless voice echoed in her mind, "I see your every thought. Your every fear. That is why filth like you will die for good here."

Her eyes widened, her determination flinched for a second and the next thing she knew, painful vines were tied all over her neck, their thorns slowly biting on her flesh, their pressure drawing all the air out of her lungs. She tried to tear the vines apart with her power, but those vines could not burn no matter what. The fog vanished completely and she saw Ciel bound by the same vines, gasping for air. Luciela fought even harder, burning through the mana she had absorbed from both Elsword and Aisha, never burning more than the surface of the vines. Her true form vanished in a cloud of indigo smoke, her strong legs crumbling beneath her.

Once again, she could do nothing but watch as her moments were counted. Her vision blurred, every word that Elsword and Aisha shouted became a mumble of words, or perhaps only the shadows of words. The pain eventually got duller, the blood dripping from her new wounds dried, or so she thought. The demoness could not be sure if she was healing or if death was taking her in its embrace once more.

When she found the strength to blink, Lu took a deep breath, glad to still feel her heart beating even if her body felt as heavy as lead. She was resting on Ciel's lap, judging by the feel of it. The other two kids would not conceal daggers in their pants' pockets.

"Lu," Ciel softly called her, his hand combing back strands of her hair, "are you awake?"

"I am. Are you ok?"

He did not answer, but she soon understood he had been much less injured than her. And so were Elsword and Aisha. Thank Sult allmighty that she could protect those kids and Ciel, she thought. If something had happened to any of them, Luciela did not even want to think what she would have done. Her head hurt, but she found the strength to sit down, helped by her only servant. The two kids were coming back from somewhere to the south-west, both of them out of breath and worried. However, the worry in their eyes melted away when they saw her.

"Oh thank the El," Elsword said, getting closer to her, "Lu, what were you thinking, going against the Ancient Phoru like that?"

So that beast was the Ancient Phoru, she thought, a frown souring her face. It was far more powerful than anything she had faced in all the centuries she had lived through.

"The Ancient Phoru was going to kill you both. I needed to stop it before it caught us." she weakly replied. For some reason, her throat was incredibly dry. She passed a hand around her neck, looking for any wounds the vines might have left, but found nothing. That was strange.

Something in the back of her mind stung; it was something Ciel thought and hid. She looked at him briefly, but found no telling sign of what it could have been. Aisha crossed her arms, looking back at the place she and Elsword had come from.

"Well, if you're good enough to stand or get carried, that's good enough. No thanks to that, we lost Banthus's trail. He headed out south-west."

Luciela glared at the ungrateful child, "Are you ressenting me from trying to protect you?"

The purple-haired girl shrugged, "The Ancient Phoru only went berserk at you and Ciel. It didn't wish harm to neither Elsword nor me. Only reason why you two still breathe is because somehow Elsword could speak to that spirit. Or so he claims. If anything, you put us all in danger."

The red-haired boy turned sharply at Aisha, "Why are you still like that towards Lu and Ciel, Aisha? You don't know what it was going to do to us if Lu hadn't intervened. I already told you that-"

"It's your word against the facts, Elsword!" the mage yelled back, "I am a mage, I can sense if anyone is or will launch a mortal spell at us. It did not attack us at all. I saw that, you saw it too."

Elsword clenched his fist and Lu could feel from his quiet that he was going to let out everything that had frustrated him in one fight. She had seen it plenty of times from youngsters in the demon realm. But Elsword was not a demon. That kind of act went against what he was. It would be a gesture he would regret forever. Luciela got up and put her hand over Elsword's shoulder. The boy looked at her and back down at his unthrown punch. He clicked his tongue, nodded in apology to her and sighed.

Luciela looked sternly at Aisha, the confident rage of the mage melting away as she approached.

"I won't deny you are a powerful mage, Aisha. But you have much left to learn. Ancient and spiritual magic are two of the many things you have proven to lack mastery of. I'm no mage myself, but those two aspects of magic are part of my expertise."

"I know ancient magic too." she replied, trembling with shame.

"Then surely you would know how to replicate my blue flames, correct?"

Aisha looked down, almost at the verge of tears. The only flames she had ever known were bright and orange. Demonic fire was something not even many demonic lineages remembered how to replicate. The Soulscream clan was the only exception.

"Do not feel ashamed, Aisha," Lu reassured her, "You are still only at the beginning of life. You'll have time to learn more. And you have a point, you know?"

Aisha raised an eyebrow at her, unsure if she should trust Lu's imitation of Rena's motherly attitude. Somehow, in the mage's mind, Lu's felt more natural.

The demoness offered her a brief smile, "I know what I did was rash. I should not have done all of that without telling any of you."

With those words, she turned towards the rest of the group, but her gaze lingered at Ciel. Luciela hoped that he would speak to her later, so she could understand why he had hidden his thoughts moments ago. "And for that, I offer my apologies to all of you."

"Don't worry about it, Lu," the Steel Cross replied, but it did little to reassure her. His smile was cold. But no one but her could notice. Elsword agreed with Ciel's words and soon after, so did Aisha.

They all decided to make their way back to Haden and tell both Rena and Ain what had happened.

* * *

The Monkey King was watching next to his brother both Banthus trot to the Shadow Forest and the group of adventurers fight golems controlled by fairies to get out of the White Mist Swamp. With the incantations the Fluonian mage commanded, burning through scroll after scroll, she could command the fairies out of the golems. But it took time and, although it made the advance easier, the other three had to protect her until then. His red eyes widened when he saw the blue flames the white-haired girl conjured from her gauntlets. And he growled in anger when the wind unveiled the mark of the Soulscream clan on her back: she was a demon noble. Her attacks withered the life out of the nature golems, using it to empower her own attacks. No. She used that energy to heal the blue-haired sniper. It had to be her servant.

"Is she the reason why you decided to renew its fellowship with humans?"

"No," the Ancient Phoru replied in his head, "It's because of the boy."

"The boy? What do you see in him?"

The group had finally stopped fighting, noticing that the Toto they had captured was no longer there. The two kids started to argue and, if it was not for his brother's words, the Monkey King would have stopped focusing on the group.

"Look carefully, brother. Stare into his soul and his destiny."

The Monkey King did not like to use his powers so trivially, it drained his mana so much it oftentimes left him exhausted. Back when the Rubenians remembered him, he did not have to worry for such things. But even his golden age could not be eternal. The Spirit focused on the child far away from him, piercing his conscience with his power. The boy turned around him, clenching his fist over his heart. His eyes widened in fear, he stepped back. The Old Light surrounded the boy, taking him to a blessed crown of thorns. A benefactor raised her sword to protect the new king as the fangs of dusk pierced the sky. Hands of darkness reached out to a pure light, protecting the new hero from ending all what he had known.

A purple rose tied the hands to a garden, trapping dragging along the motherly darkness no matter how much it fought. Once the gates of the garden closed, two gazes met between the darkness that the garden gate separated. The one who was trapped within the garden cried, not cry out of fear, but out of regret. The arms of darkness reached out again, trying to take away the cold evilness from the eyes who were free. But the free entity of darkness took the prisoner's hands, swept the tears away and vanished.

The garden's prisoner watched, hurt, its tears flowed again and became poison. Petals bloomed on the ground, growing into giant trees before their life was swayed away. A burst of ancient light cut the garden in half, destroying both the flowers in the garden and the darkness trapped within. The protector and the new king would live on, awakened to the severed world but would never try to reconcile it.

Never, since the El exploded, had the Monkey King seen such great tragedy inside a hero's destiny. He undid his spell and shook his head, still refusing to fully accept the magnitude of that boy's future journey in all of his paths of fate.

"To think the diluted Rubenian blood could still be this powerful..."

The boy calmed down, taking a deep breath, giving a smile to the mage who had been the first to rush towards him. The demoness' eyes had a mother's worry at a sick child. She said something to the young hero, to which he nodded, saying something back that brightened a little her expression.

"Brother, you are right about Banthus Evans. But, without him, I could not have had the chance to speak directly to that boy. It's just such a shame I can't kill those filthy demons without ruining the boy's destiny."

The giant gorilla huffed, "I always hated that scheming part of you."

"Ah, dear brother, that's not a fair judgement. You and I both know this is the first of many trials the little hero needs to live up to his fate. You saw it, did you not?"

He had. But that did not mean that the tricks his brother used were any good. Fate was unchanging, even if it had many faces. There was no need to push one outcome over the other; it was not their place as protectors to act as gods. Yet, the goddess had been dormant for the past five centuries. She had no power to judge them anymore, and the same was true for Elria.

Without their authority, the Monkey King was not even an obstacle to his brother. The Ancient Phoru was, by all means, the deity of this side of the world and he did what he pleased. He had hopes that the Ent, being a spirit more powerful and older than them, would not bow to the Ancient Phoru nor follow his footsteps. The two goddesses were going to awaken soon enough, if the young Elsword Sieghardt embraced the crown of thorns that awaited at the end of his journey.


	16. Chapter 15

inchase sat on the bed of straw he was given. None of the rooms had any windows because of some strange traditions of the locals. He could not tell the difference between day and night from here, save the distant howls of wolves from time to time. Even though he could see through any darkness, it was never enough to make him feel at ease when the sun went down.

He took a deep breath. The injuries on his back stretched so painfully he feared he had reopened his wounds. Yet, the bandages felt as dry and fresh as they did an hour ago, when Rena had changed them. He looked down, clenching his fist. He took another deep breath and forced himself up. The sudden movement made him feel light, and he stumbled for two steps before finally gaining control over his walk. He glanced back, panting. Ainchase frowned at the insignificant distance he had crossed compared to the effort he had put just getting this far.

The elf was healing faster than he was. Something was off about his injuries, but, until they reached Elder, there would not be a single temple where he could reconnect with his goddess and ask her to renew his strength. He had given up on meditation in these forests, but Ainchase was sure that he would reach the goddess in one of her temples. With a groan, he limped towards the wooden cane at the end of the room. When he took it, he smirked, leaning on the tool which gave him back some mobility. He was already sick of being confined to a single room, more so when he had to ask others for help. He had tried to see the good in it, but there was nothing more degrading to a Celestial than being aided by anyone other than Ishmael herself.

The Celestial put his hand over the doorknob and turned it. Sunlight pierced his sight, bringing a headache and clouding his vision with greens and blues for a few uncomfortable seconds.

"Ain, are you alright?"

He nodded at Rena's voice, blinking until the scenery around him returned completely. If Wilma's abode was humble and comfortable, the home of Sylfer, Hagen's leader, was as austere as a barren military camp. Besides the multiple bedrooms, the rest of the house was an open space shaped like a rectangle. The west had all the dried herbs and a small sanctuary for their pagan gods. On the other side, hangers and wardrobes held all sorts of coats and weapons that they used to hunt in the forests. All bedrooms were aligned to the south, and the entrance of every home always pointed North. At the centre of it all, a fire always burnt next to whatever pottery, cutlery, pans, and pots they needed. Everything was aligned in a specific order. Pottery and cutlery closer to the bedrooms and the pots carefully aligned behind the pottery except for a row of lead pots. They looked so old. They might as well have been ceremonial.

Ainchase walked next to the fire and slowly sat down. Rena followed him and immediately looked for any opened wounds.

"I'm healing alright, Miss Rena."

He noticed the iron pincers stuck in the sand that stopped the flames from spreading and took them. Expertly, he used them to take off the cover of the first lead pan to his right and took out two small bits of coal to fuel the dying flames.

The elven woman smiled at him, "You've certainly recovered a lot. Do you know a lot of things like that instinctively?"

Ain tilted his head, "Things like what?"

Rena pointed to the pot he had uncovered, "Sylfer always shuffles the pots around in a different order every morning. I tried to keep up with it, but he became even more secretive about it."

Ishmael's servant shrugged, "All I know about other cultures was taught to me in my travels. This might be no exception."

"Might? You're not sure?"

Ain furrowed his eyebrows, putting everything where he had found it, "It's just a pot of coal, Miss. Rena. I travel too much to remember everything in detail."

The elf's ears lowered, a bitter smirk darkening her bright green gaze, "You're right, Ain. There's no point in asking about your homeland."

Only the silent crackle of the flames filled the long minute of silence that followed before the front door opened. The rest of the group was back with frozen mud on their boots and scratches on their clothes. Besides some serious bruising on Lu's and Ciel's neck, their infiltration into the White Mist Swamp seemed to have gone the best it could.

That is, if they had the Shard with them. Ainchase frowned at the demoness, who barely gave him or Rena a nod before going to hang her oversized fur coat with the rest. Elsword looked exhausted, and Aisha simply said she'd go to the hot springs to relax before closing the door after Ciel entered. The half-demon contented himself with following his mistress and sat down next to her, across from Ain and Rena. As for Elsword, he was lying on his back.

The young knight closed his eyes, took a deep breath and spoke first, "...He got away. The Ancient Phoru protected him."

Ainchase raised an eyebrow as the young knight elaborated on their battle with the Ancient Phoru. It had understandably gone berserk with two demons in its most sacred territory. Still, it was too much of a stretch to see it go berserk against people like Elsword. Ancient Spirits would not be so unreasonable as to indiscriminately attack those who were gifted by the goddess. It would surely have sought to protect him.

Rena was the first to voice her disbelief, "Spirits wouldn't seek to kill humans just because they're next to demons. It's more likely that they would have tried to protect you from them."

Elsword shook his head, "Well, I could talk things out with it, but I really felt we could have died if Lu hadn't stepped in."

Ainchase squinted at him, "Come again? You trusted what a demon perceived as a threat?"

The boy looked at Lu and Ciel and the half-demon stared at his mistress. The demoness seemed reluctant to speak but finally gave in to the long silence.

"The Ancient Phoru was channelling a lethal binding spell to kill me. That spell uses all the vital mana from any other being to form chains strong enough to kill a demon. I had to take their mana to protect them."

Ishmael's servant chuckled, "Demoness, the Divine Bindings are only lethal if both the source and target are demons. Neither Aisha nor Elsword got horns or pointy ears, right? Call it for what it is: You hungered for power and incapacitated two young fighters."

Luciela frowned, looking down before staring like a hawk, her fists clenched. Although she kept her head high, Ain suspected it was a façade, "Sure, why not? I can't genuinely care about any human. Unlike your _oh so benevolent_ self. It's such a shame that you were injured and couldn't be there, isn't it?"

The priest raised an eyebrow, more amused than offended by the demoness' reaction, "It really is. Unlike you, _I_ would have gotten the El. You know what they say, the cobbler should stick to his last."

Lu rolled her eyes before yawning, "Funny how well that worked out for you when you went out to tame that undead elf, huh?"

His small grin vanished under a glare as cold as Lu's. The tables had suddenly turned on him. Luciela smirked, giving him a shrug, "Guess we all got our shortcomings, don't we? You can't change what happened."

Rena had been staring at them closely, as if she was waiting for their arguing to end at that instant or intervene herself. The demon countess glanced at the elven woman with a nod, turning back from him to speak generally at the group. All the malice in Lu's gaze transformed into decisiveness, although fatigue permeated through her expression. She yawned again when she asked both Rena and Ciel the pace of their trip to Elder from now on. It was truly too late to change his past failings, but that was all the more reason why he could not leave a single thing into the hands of the demons. They could not care less about Elrios.

With a short sigh, Ain straightened up and looked at Rena, who took in her hands the Lurensian Almanac she had Elsword bring from the altar to her side. After thanking him, her eyebrows furrowed as she searched for the events of the year's winter, flipping rapidly through the book's pages.

"Sylfer said there's a storm coming around the area next week, but..." she trailed off as her gaze finally brightened around the middle of the book, "Ah, there it is! The Almanac confirms it."

The elven woman put the old book down. The page had a warning for the Northern region, showing only a fraction of a map. The area circled Hagen village and the mountainous area further north, just a few miles off the boundaries of Wilma's village. The village they were in before was so small the map simply called it a "farmer settlement", although Hagen itself was only ten inhabitants away from being a settlement as well.

Elsword clicked his tongue, "Mid-winter storms are the worst. If that ever catches us, I don't think even the best hunting dogs could pull our sleigh through the forests."

Ciel traced his finger from the pale ink where the details of the forests and other natural landmarks lost themselves with the roads that led to Elder. He squinted his eyes at the crossing of the two routes, over what looked to be a mountain foot. "Elsword, do you know which route is the fastest from here on?"

"Uhh," the young boy hesitated, leaning closer to the map and squinting his eyes to try to distinguish the two roads that connected Hagen to Elder.

Ainchase stared at the map, unaware of how his shell shattered around his face. A curse he mistook for the flame's heat crawled over his eye, turning his sclera darker. The ink, to his eyes, was now fresher, as it had been only an hour after its creator finished the last traits. The priest pointed to the western route. It passed near a lake, but compared to the eastern route, there were no clear mountains or swamps to get through. The terrain would be perfect for a prompt arrival to Elder.

"This route looks better," he said as his eye returned to normal, "We avoid the Silent Peaks and the Grey Swamp. Even if it's longer, the terrain is more maneuverable."

Rena and Lu looked more attentively at the route he had pointed out, struggling to make out the clear traits out of the washed out and dirty parchment. Elsword was the first one to get the perfect trace of his path, whistling in admiration to Ishmael's servant.

"Your vision is as good as a Ruchi's, Ain."

The priest nodded, tuning out of the discussion that followed. The traits of the map were too washed out to ever be that clear. Was what he saw a weak sign of the goddess? He wished it was the case. Or else he would have to worry for far more things than just healing slowly. The slow healing itself could be a side-effect of something far grimmer. Something that could, undoubtedly, bring his mission down. The group soon decided to get on route the following day. Ain had suggested to get out at the first light, but his words were met with complaints from everyone else around him. Aisha got back, frowning at the minor fight between the rest of the group.

"Same as always, huh?" she muttered, taking off her hooded coat and fur-covered boots. Ainchase followed her with his eyes until she turned around.

Ainchase barely glanced up at her, pointing out to the group that if they were tired, there were still more than enough mana potions to regain their stamina before they ran out. Either way, they were going into a town who would certainly have more than one alchemist that could do them the favour to replenish their stocks. The half-demon, however, voiced that he doubted anyone would give them anything given the situation. Rena added that they really did not need to rush that much. The difference would not amount to half a day.

Now with only thick woollen socks, the mage walked next to the rest of the group, sitting down to Elsword's right, taking care to fold her skirt properly as she sat over her calves. She closed her eyes as she began to comb her damp, loosened hair with a wooden brush, "All of you could have said good evening. But I guess I'm as visible as the wind as long as you're arguing."

Everyone turned around to Aisha as if she had teleported right there. Elsword, after his initial surprise, apologized. The demoness simply shrugged and rested her head on her servant's lap, her gaze drifting off to sleep. The half-demon and Rena echoed Elsword's apology. As for him, Ainchase offered her something less than apologetic:

"I had hoped you would step in to share the spotlight."

The mage lazily nodded, paying more attention to her hair, "Sure, I suppose priest's manners are different. Did you guys decide what we should do now?"

Ainchase could not help but notice how Luciela's servant was naturally adjusted to his role. Normally, he would expect some more resistance and reluctance from a human, but Ciel was even patting Lu's head, lulling her to sleep. Still, the mage-hunter could both serve his new mistress and explain their plan in detail. The route would take a week, and considering the dangers they had braved thus far, the group could face a journey twice that long. However, that meant giving in to Hagen's specialty travel cuisine, which sometimes consisted of dried beast guts and bone marrow preserved in bear grease.

Aisha gravely nodded, her eyebrows furrowed at the mention of their last resorts, "If the El wills it, we won't have to actually eat those last resort reserves. Bone marrow in oil sounds disgusting."

Rena chuckled nervously, "I would have to hope there are still some berries for me. But, I trust we will all make it in time. You're all very tired, so we'd better rest up and do the final packing tomorrow morning. Alright?"

Luciela was already asleep, but everyone else nodded. Aisha was the first to head out to her room, followed by Elsword. Ciel, with a regretful sigh, had to wake his mistress up to carry her to bed. In the end, just like when it had begun, it was only he and Rena. The elf got up carefully and offered him her hand, a gentle smile on her lips.

"You can't recover fully if you don't rest either, you know?"

Ain shook his head but accepted nonetheless her help, "I shouldn't have to rest at all."

"Well, for now you do. It won't hurt."

He wondered just how true that was for someone like him as he went back to the windowless prison he had to sleep in for just one last night.

* * *

Unlike his pursuers, Banthus did not have many chances to rest until he was sure he had enough distance from both the authorities in Elder and the El Search Party. Solare was perhaps the best stallion in Ruben, but even he tired under the rocky, snowy, and sometimes icy paths through the Silent Peaks.

His only saving grace were the masked Phorus, whose magic shortened the distance to Elder's Shadow Forest. Instead of an arduous ten-day journey, Banthus got to the forests in four days. Under any other circumstances, Bathus would avoid these lands altogether. It was no secret that quite a few people tended to disappear within the Shadow Forest whenever they set foot within them. No one would ever think he had chosen this route over the detour that would bring him to Hagen village, and that was all he really needed.

The longer he could stall both of his enemies to arrest him for his theft, the better. The air itself changed as soon as he set more than three steps onto the almost forgotten path. It was definitely colder, and the scent of iron only made him and Solare more nervous despite the group of Brure and Mars around them. The Phorus were his only ticket into a safe haven in this place.

Or so he wanted to believe.

As he adjusted the bag he carried the El with on his back, Banthus heard bushes rustle from behind. He stopped and soon did the spirits who were following him.

"What do you sense?"

A Mars,an orange-haired Phoru with a fox mask,raised its head up, huffing the air. The three Brure, the two other Mars, and Banthus clenched their weapons tighter. No one would think the sticks the Mars held were particularly deadly, but their magic allowed them to shape their simple staffs into whatever weapon they needed. The Brure, on the other hand, were strong enough to carry clubs as heavy and long as half a tree trunk with one hand. The rustling continued, growing closer. The green fur on the Brure's shoulders bristled, and the Mars let out a low growl.

"It is one of Toto," the Mars who had smelt the mana in the air answered, "But...some things is not quite the right."

"Boss," one of the Brure said softly with its guttural voice, "You's not safe. We defend you now."

Banthus frowned and unsheathed his gigantic blade, "To hell with that, Brure. The El knows how much I regret not doing anything when I know how to fight. I will fight by your side."

Just then, the Toto he had saved in the White Mist Swamp jumped out of the bushes, and it was immediately obvious for Banthus what the other Phorus meant. The mask had a blue stain in the form of an eye, carved perfectly in the middle of its forehead. Banthus stood his ground and pretended to lower his guard, lowering his weapon as he slowly charged it with mana. If things turned ugly, he could summon a Triple Geyser to give himself and the rest enough time to run. The rest of the Phorus knew a safe place in the middle of the most hostile forests in Lurensia.

"Toto," the man began, speaking with friendly authority. Although he feared the mutated mouths and eyes that were melting through the spirit's fur, he wished to observe quietly. At each new piece of fur that fell in patches, a foul, purple goo appeared underneath. It was unlike anything he had seen before.

"Silence, Banthus Evans. Yond hast ne'er been mine own name."

Banthus frowned at the extremely archaic Elrian Toto was now speaking. He had only read about the archaic folk songs and Velderian plays, but never had he heard it spoken so naturally. The Toto chuckled so euphorically and loudly anyone could have mistaken it as his reaction to the curse that was melting right through him. The dark, blue and black eye glowed even more.

"The dream cometh true! I bethink myself of mine own life, ere this malison! Banthus Evans, mine own name is Aurelius! Aurelius DaVernicio. Prithee, let me cure thine company! Stay here, and I will cure all of thee!"

The last parts of the mask peeled off Toto's, or rather Aurelius's, face. Banthus did not need to study the whole Elrian bible to understand he was now facing a ghost: a malignant spirit who wished to consume them all. From the Phoru he had saved, nothing but a distorted, guttural laughter remained. Its body barely held together. It was closer to a riptide floating on the air than a human, or a Phoru for that matter. The smell of rotten flesh surrounded them in waves of miasma as the monster continued to plead with the rest of them to stay, promising the world and more to the rest of the Phorus. With a battle cry, Banthus took his weapon in both hands, the steel of his gigantic blade becoming a second sun in the darkness, before he planted it on the ground. The first pillar of light erupted in a flash, sending wood chips and rocks flying along the burning magic, right on Aurelius's blue eye. The spirit roared and took a step back, right over the second and third pillar of flaming red magic.

With a final sound that Banthus could only describe as the most desperate sob a man could ever make, Aurelius was no more. The exiled captain finally dared to take a deep breath, watching for any signs of life in the ashes in front of him. The Brure to his right put his four-fingered hand over his shoulder.

"Not safe for any no more, boss. We run."

The one-eyed fugitive gave him a nod, sheathing his weapon back, "Yeah, we should."

Banthus mounted back on Solare and ordered every Phoru around him to continue their march through the winter night, only warmed by the momentary flash of mana. Although one could have seen Banthus confidently riding and focused on his path, the man's mind was still trying to make sense of what he had just witnessed. After a good hour, the Phorus finally stopped in front of a cave. Banthus lowered his scarf, sighing at the place. The entrance was not very wide, and that alone was a reason to believe the cave itself was as small as it got.

Nevertheless, a small shelter was better than none at all. He unmounted his horse and looked at one of the Mars, "Is there water nearby?"

The orange-haired spirit nodded, "Of sure. Beneath the low descent, water runs."

Banthus raised an eyebrow, stepping closer to the cave as he pulled his stallion with him, "So, it must be pretty big."

"Bigger than Ancient One's Temple," A Brure pridefully added, "You's be safer nowhere, Boss!"

While he still had his doubts, they all cleared the moment he shook his only light orb to tear through the darkness around him. The entrance itself was small, but the walls were built like the entrance to an ancient palace. From each little crevice that water and wind had created, glimpses of gold coins, carved rubies and even emerald necklaces shone in the dark. The path itself was not what many would expect of a natural cave. Even if time had peeled some of the fresques off, the red and gold coat of arms of the Centurion Guard could still be seen, engraved over the old tiles. The mysterious wealth of this desolate place took Banthus back to the illustrations of children's stories he had read long ago. Stories of lost treasures and adventure. Carefully, he followed the corridor down until he came by a small chamber. The path beyond that, further down the cave, was too narrow for Solare to go down with him. With a gentle pat, he guided the stallion to this makeshift stable. The animal was already exhausted by the journey and did not even protest when Banthus went away. Instead, Solare calmly laid down and rested. With a line of six Phorus behind him, the former captain of the El Search party went down to find a hall of reliquaries beyond his dreams. Old flags of kingdoms long gone hung along some walls, heavy with dust. Shining armours from across Elrios lined up in front of an empty altar, where two torches still burned.

At this underground level, the cold was nothing but a memory, and Banthus could already hear the underground river Mars had mentioned running further down, where the path they had come from continued. He took off his dirty, heavy fur coat and woollen scarf, still staring at the old flag that hung over the wall where the Altar rose.

"By the El almighty," he muttered, dropping the light orb on the ground. The healing magic within it shone, healing the scratches and bruises, climbing up the cave like a summer breeze. The masked Phorus around him looked at each other and back at the pile of rocks and cloth that had taken the complete focus of their boss. They all thought it could be a side-effect of their trip, which they went on with an empty stomach. The Brure decided to head out while the Mars stayed to prepare a fire to warm whatever beast their fellow Phorus would bring back to them and their boss.

One of the Mars, the one who had the mask on for longer than the rest, walked to Banthus's side, hearing him mutter words of wonder and disbelief.

"Are rocks not normal?" it asked, tilting its head at the cloth and pile of polished stone.

The boss turned towards him, finally snapping out of his strange obsession with the stone. "Hm? Well, it's not the altar per se. It's...it's this whole place," he continued, opening his arms before dropping them to the side tiredly, "If people thought I was saying nonsense when I told them about Lua, what'll happen if I tell them that I found this place…"

The big man sighed, sitting near the fire, joining the other Mars, "I'm good for a long stay in a House of Healing."

"House of Healing?" one of the other Mars asked, "What is those?"

The one-eyed man straightened up, his eyebrows furrowed at the realization that even if he spoke softly, every Phoru would always hear him, "It's a place the people who are really badly injured go to heal. Whether their wounds are visible or not."

The Mars furthest away from the fire shook his head, "You have not injuries. Why go there if it is good here?"

Banthus Evans shook his head, "I'm not going there. I was just saying that just being in this place is so incredible that others would think I'm insane if I ever told them I knew this place existed."

The third Mars, who was sitting to his left, tilted his head, "Place has been here long. Why strange for others?"

Banthus took a deep breath, looking up at the stalactites hanging more than two stories above him, "Where do I even begin…."

Every Mars turned towards the path where they had all entered from and, soon enough, Banthus heard the Brure's steps coming in. From the quiet rustle, Banthus could tell they were dragging some animal. The first appeared, his hands full of edible wild berries, and they soon stepped aside to let the others enter with ease. Their clothes and masks slightly bloody, the remaining Brure carried a deer on their shoulders.

"Nice catch, boys,"Banthus whistled at the animal as he readied the hunting dagger he carried ever since he departed on his second mission as an official member of the El Search Party.

As he looked at the carefully sharpened blade, chipped very slightly here and there, he chuckled. He thought that, at least, he should take the time to retell a bunch of his adventures, like he would do in front of all those young recruits. If only things had turned out just a little different.

"We help skin it, boss?" one of the Mars asked, getting out his rusty blade from his side pocket.

Banthus shook his head, "No, let me skin it. Your blade could make the meat go bad with all that rust."

Banthus knelt in front of the catch and carefully put the dagger over the deer's side, being careful to not sink the blade or touch the bloodied fur with his hands. He closed his eye, trying to remember how Lowe's weird prayers went.

"We thank the Old Protectors for this gift. The soul of this deer will bask in your haven, far from Batara's claws, to help our ancestors reach the Great Beyond."

With an embarrassed chuckle, Banthus opened his eyes and began to prepare the deer's meat, "I probably botched that pretty badly."

One of the Brure shook his head as he and the rest sat around him to watch him gut the animal, "Boss, you's not botch. I think you's words serious. They good. Learned them where?"

"Oh, a long time ago a friend taught them to me. We were barely strong enough to hunt rabbits back in those days but…" his sentence trailed off as he got the animal's stomach out. He carefully caught it, making sure the toxic juices would not get out. Luckily, the deer had a mostly empty stomach. The stomach would make a great waterskin if they ever had to move again. He had read a lot about making such utilities, but he had never really put his knowledge to practice. Banthus told himself that he would have to trust his best skill, his memory, to survive all alone.

"But?" the Mars collectively asked, startling him.

"Oh, sorry. I left you guys hanging, didn't I? Back in those days, Lowe, my friend, almost beat me up for immediately skinning the rabbit without the proper prayer. He was really scary for a midget. But I guess that's to be expected from the kind of place he was raised in."

"Prayers like those," the most cured Mars began, "Could the friend be a Hunter?"

Banthus nodded, taking out the rest of the animal's guts. He did not know how to use them except for bait. Sadly, they would go to waste. "Not by birth, but a lot of things got Lowe raised far away from his family's place. The old man Sylfer took him in and practically raised him like his own son. When he gets really drunk, Lowe lets loose all the songs he's ashamed to hum next to anyone."

With the guts now out of the way, Banthus asked a Brure to hold the deer upside down, with its legs spread so the remaining blood would drip properly. Once the last drops of blood were almost dried up, Banthus began to slowly peel the fur and skin off the animal's rear legs.

"I don't blame the guy, really. The songs he calls beautiful would make any kid piss their pants."

"Know one, boss?" the Brure who held the deer asked.

"Hmm," Banthus furrowed his eyebrows, pondering whether he should bore them with the verses of the longest ones or not. As he peeled the skin off half of the animal, he decided against it. "I do know a short one. But it's really not the song to sing over a nice meal like this."

"Still," A Mars said, "Please sing."

Banthus shook his head, finishing to peel the fur off, "Fair warning," he said, pointing with his bloodied dagger to the audience of spirits, "My voice might scrape your ears."

Just as he began to cut pieces of meat to impale over the sticks that had remained free from the flames of the fire, Banthus sang one of the many songs Lowe had sang with a drunken smile on his face. He might have been only like other loud drunks, but Banthus really thought that those moments were the only ones where Lowe loosened up and enjoyed the moment instead of worrying endlessly about his past or what the future would hold.

 _If Thee doth not fear the Shadows_

 _Thine steel shouldst brighten the night_

 _And maybe survive, Thee might_

 _Old Folks like me knoweth_

 _The more the path thou follow_

 _The somber the night, it watches in silence_

 _If the path of memory thy men choose to follow_

 _Through a dream_

 _Thine protector in blue thee shall meetheth_

The masked Phorus looked at one another, some tilting their head curiously at the song. The most human Mars spoke first.

"Boss Banthus," he began, "Song sounds a lot like Toto's words. Said something about dream. And we call Shadow Forest the Shadows."

Banthus sighed as he began to serve everyone a piece of deer meat, his frown only growing deeper, "So, are you saying that the song is a warning against what we saw Toto turn into?"

"Might." the second Mars answered, taking the first piece of meat to roast over the fire.

"Well, that's not our problem as long as we have this cave. The rest will join us here, and whether the song is true or not, everyone avoids The Ent and its forests."

"Indeed, boss."

As he finished splitting the meat into bigger portions for the Brure, Banthus asked the Brure who was holding the remaining carcass to take it outside with the guts, save for the stomach. With a piece of meat covering most of his dagger, the former captain finally sat down to cook and enjoy his most nutritious meal in days. Quite frankly, a part of him wished to bite the meat raw, but that mistake had kept him bedridden for days when he was Elsword's age. If it wasn't for Lowe's knowledge in botanic medicine back then, Banthus might have died before a cleric from Feita could come.

The Ruben forests were lonelier back in those days, and Elder was quieter. But, even so, Banthus only regretted that those simpler days could no longer return. Lads like Elsword and Elesis were born in a more dangerous world. A world much more like what Lowe had known.

'I bet he's leading the El Search Party better than I would have in this situation', Banthus thought with a small smile as he turned the meat around to cook it better, 'Thank you, Lowe, for thinking about your importance to Ruben more than your anger towards me. That kindness suits you better.'

"Boss?" one of the Brure asked him, taking him out of his thoughts. Banthus blinked a couple of times and looked at one of the hunters.

"What is it, Brure?"

"Is you sad, Boss?"

The man chuckled, loudly and wholeheartedly, putting a hand over the giant's back, as he could not reach his shoulder, "Not at all, Brure. I'm glad to be here, sharing a meal with you over long, happy stories of the past. Whoops-!"

With a swift gesture, Banthus pulled his dagger back as it was tilting just a little too much into the flames. With a comically defeated frown, Banthus stared at the burnt side of his meal. The Mars chuckled, and soon the other Brure joined in. With roasted and surprisingly delicious meat to fill his hunger, Banthus continued to share more stories of his past and old legends he was forced to repeat over and over.

Naturally, every masked Phoru was curious about what legends he knew. Seeing no better moment to answer the question of the Mars he had avoided, he looked all around the cave, "You know, I could tell you the names of the houses each of these flags belong to. Nobody but us seven know about this cave."

"No," a Mars said, shaking his head, "Toto, Mars, Brure and Ancient One know, too."

"Ah, but have they stayed here?"

"No."

With a grin, Banthus clapped once, "Then, gentlemen, that makes us really lucky to be the first to find _and_ stay in Vincent Conwell's hidden base."

"Vincent...Conwell? You's friend too, Boss?"

The former captain shook his head, "Man, I wish. If he was really like the legends say, Vincent Conwell was the most noble knight to ever exist."

He leaned a bit back as he took another bite of the meat, chewing it, savouring it as if it were his last meal. Once he swallowed, he continued his story, "Vincent Conwell was the only knight of the Centurion Guard to be given the title of Knight of Dawn," Banthus raised his dagger and passed it from one hand to another to illustrate his words, "He could summon copies of his sword made of light and," he opened his free hand, tensing his fingers as he closed them, as if he were controlling a spell, " he could use Light Magic strong enough to pull anything he wished towards him before cutting them all with a swing of his blade."

Banthus closed his fist dramatically as he finished the tale to his attentive audience, "Final Strike, he called it."

He took a mouthful of meat and, once he chewed and swallowed, Banthus sighed, "Or so they say."

"Strong," the most human Mars said, "What happened to Vincent Conwell?"

Banthus shrugged, "If we go by the poems, he was killed; alone and betrayed. Legends don't say much more than that no matter how much you try to interpret it. Trust me. Although, if we get even luckier, we might find the scabbard of his weapon around."

"For you, boss! You's strong to be Knight of Dawn!"

With a chuckle, the leader led the jokingly greedy act play on, "That title does suit me, doesn't it?" He rested his chin over the space between his thumb and index, a cocky grin on his face as he began to solemnly recite a satire of a knighthood speech, "Banthus Evans, the successor of Vincent Conwell. Most wanted Knight of Ruben. In the name of the Kingdom, may your sword protect this land and all the souls in it and the souls to be. May the El will it!"

He expected his acting to get some laughter, but the looks the Phoru were given him were of admiration.

"Is scabbard really here, boss? You's sure?"

"Nah, come on," Banthus said with a more serious, but still teasing tone, "Nobody knows where Vincent Conwell died or what even happened to his legendary weapon."

With the jokingly smile off his face, Banthus stretched with a yawn. He looked at everyone's faces, "Being the Knight of Dawn means very little to me. I've always been disgusted by how people use the power behind their titles. That's why I'd rather help everyone I can as Banthus Evans, not some glorified knight."

Although no one noticed it that night, the artifact beneath the altar where Vincent Conwell's throne once was began to undo every binding that hid it.

* * *

Days of cold winter went by in the deserted heart of Elder. Not even the fellow Fluonians she had travelled with had decided to move around except for food. The young raven-haired woman was nervous, clenching her woollen coat as close to her as she could. The cold here chilled her to the bone, and to think she was used to the harshest winters at the edge of the mountains of Fahrman's Peak.

 _Ara, do you really wish to talk to those foreigners?_

The voice of Eun was almost like the girl's mother, patient and kind. Yet, this time, the ancient spirit did not even try to hide her hostility. Ara walked on in the evening, surrounded by growing slums where other hooded people passed by muttering in the traditional Elrian dialect. A different language to Ara's ears. The girl knew that what happened in her village could come here. The few words she had heard about demons appearing in the forests during the summer made her feel determined to help the people of Elder.

The sound of picks digging on stone along some bellowing laughs around the corner surprised her. That was where the Elrian Chapel was. With both relief and fear, the young girl deviated from her path to take a look at what was going on.

She froze and hid behind the corner of a closed shop, fearing already the crowd of angry citizens, guards, and clergymen that was gathered around what she assumed to be masons. Ara peeked at the scene again. She pulled her old, worn out scarf over her face to hide the traits that betrayed her origin as a foreigner as much as she could. While she did not understand much of the local dialect, there were some clergymen who spoke in an understandable Elrian, albeit with an accent she had heard from the Velderian sailors who brought her and an entire group of refugees from Isshin to Lurensia.

"Do you even understand that this is a declaration of war?" one of the clergymen hollered, outraged, "The Church won't forgive this!"

Ara raised herself on her tiptoes to see what was beyond the crowd, and she could not believe her eyes. Eun chuckled.

 _Serves those brutes right. Tear those wicked places to the ground, men of Elder!_

The only Chapel of the Church of the El, the same church who had made her journey even harder, was being torn down by a group of fifty men, stone by stone. The guards were there to keep the crowd of believers and clergymen far enough from the demolition side. However, more and more onlookers gathered, slowly but surely pushing the barricade of guards out. The crowd got louder, and fear consumed Ara. Anger spread like oil over the crowd.

A stone hit a guard's skull with a muffled 'thud', blood dripped down his helmet. The rock a priest had thrown had been lodged deeply within the man's face, replacing his eye. The crowd took a step back, the masons stopped their work, and the guards gathered around their comrade as he fell. Time held its breath and the spark ignited.

"Who threw it?!" the guard closest to the fallen one howled, "Who is the corrupted spawn of the Ent who threw it?!"

 _Ara, child, you don't need to watch this. Go where you wished to go._

"But Eun…" Ara tearfully mumbled, "As a Haan, I need to-"

A woman screamed. The sound of an unsheathed sword cut the air, and the scream suddenly stopped. A priestess's body fell to the ground. Her white and blue robes bloomed with crimson, her blood warmly marking the uniform of the wrathful guard who had slain her.

"I bet it was you, bitch. The Senacian Church doesn't have its place here."

"Sir," another man slurred, "Look at how weak she is. Ain't seen a woman that frail throw a stone that hard."

The chief nodded, "True. I'll say this one more time, cravens! Who threw that rock?!"

 _ARA! GO! NOW!_

But the young girl could not move. Her mind was running wild with all sorts of thoughts. As a Haan, she stood for the innocent, to protect everyone from evil if they could not do it themselves. The sound of the riot grew duller, and the other guards readied their crossbows, aiming right at the crowd. The thirty people who had gathered in the Holy Square of the Church began to run. The first volley fired. Two children with their mothers and the priest who she had heard first fell, arrows impaling their torsos from one side to the other.

'What would brother do?' the girl tirelessly thought, 'What would brother do? They took my spear at the port, brother. Aren, brother, what should I do?'

The soldiers calmly advanced as the crowd pushed one another to get out of the tight alley that guaranteed advantage to the cruel men who were shooting them down. Another volley flew, and Ara's heart was racing beyond her control. Another wave of people fell. By the third wave, the soldiers were right next to her, and all ten turned to stare at her by the time the last civilian had fallen to their arrows.

"Hey, woman," one of them said in the Elderian dialect, pointing a dagger at her, "You saw this shit, huh?"

Ara remained silent. The guards surrounded her. The leader, the one who had killed the priestess, was taller and stronger than the rest. He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up, forcibly pushing her hood and scarff off her face.

"We can't leave any witnesses, girl. Tell us what you saw."

The white-haired girl with crimson eyes smirked, her hairpin falling to the ground. Her long, beautiful hair floated around her as if it was lifted by an invisible air current before dropping over her shoulders, "Oh, aren't you a rude one? What happened to 'Do not dishonour your Protectors?' Don't they teach that in these lands?"

The man tilted his head, unfamiliarized with the Isshin dialect Eun had spoken in. His eyes widened in fear when nine white fox tails pushed Ara's coat off her shoulders. However, by the time he realized the danger he was in, Eun had dug right through his jugular with two fingers, absorbing his vital mana.

With a sigh of delight, Eun licked her lips as the guard dropped to his knees, letting her go. "What a nutritious meal. But, this body is still weakened by hunger. Say," she continued with a candid smile, "now that your leader isn't giving refugees decent food, how about you become _my_ meal?"

Just like the victims they had chased down, Eun showed them no mercy, hunting them down one by one before walking back to the snowy alley where Ara's coat laid, clean as it could be, save for the stains the sullied, muddy snow left on the sleeves. The ancient spirit put it on and combed carefully Ara's hair with the pin as she confidently walked away down the most isolated alleys. By the time she was done, Ara's hair turned back to its beautiful onyx colour, and the red marks on her face were all gone. A blink of an eye later, there were no longer any traces of her transformation.

Ara stumbled on a pebble hidden by the snow and fell right on her face, feeling the biting cold all over her again. Wiping a tear of pain, the girl clumsily swept away the snow off her clothes the best she could, sighing in defeat at the sight of her dirty sleeves. She looked around her, noticing that she was only two blocks away from the place where some citizens were invited to gather by Hoffman.

"Eun," she muttered, "did you help me run?"

 _Of course, Ara. Without a weapon, even I would be powerless against those men. Besides, once we tell everyone what we know, we can still help the people of this town, right? The Haan family would be proud of you._

The raven-haired girl smiled, "I see. I'm glad to have you with me, Eun. I don't know why, Eun, but sometimes, I feel stronger when you help me get out of really bad trouble."

With an apologetic chuckle, the girl combed some locks of her hair back, "Although, that must really tire you, Eun. Sorry."

 _Not at all, Ara. I will protect you anytime you need._

"But you wouldn't hurt anyone anymore, would you?"

 _No. That's not what you want, and no one has forced my hand to even try to hurt them. Not since we left that filth hole called Velder._

Now at the gates of a humble pub named The Silver Swan, Ara pushed the gates, glad to find herself in the warmth of a fireplace and people. The smell of roasted meat and ale impregnated the room, but, for all the days she had passed only eating half a slice of bread twice a day, Ara did not feel hungry. It had to be a result of her peerless training as a Haan. The young woman made her way through the crowd and sat in a corner, waiting for Hoffman to appear, or at least one of the merchants. Surely, they would get there sooner than later. Ara watched the crowd, spotting some patrons speaking much more quietly than the rest. Among them were a red-haired woman, a white-haired girl, and a burly, mustached man. They did not seem to be family, and even the way they accompanied their words with hand gestures was very restrained.

At best, Ara thought, they were acquaintances. The burly man called for a server and whispered something to her ear. The polite smile on the woman faded, and she made a gesture for the group to follow her.

 _I think they're here for the same reason as you. Follow them._

The Haan warrior got up, slowly dragging herself towards where the group was going. The loudness of the place played in her favour as her nervous breathing was completely silenced by the singing and cheers of the rest of the patrons. Other people gathered around her and the group, all of them following the waitress at different distances, some even stopping for a drink before making their way down a hall. The waitress opened a wooden door that looked to lead outside and simply showed the group of ten people off. One by one, the people shuffled into a room where only a handful of candles lit the place.

The room itself was bare and almost as humid as a basement, only furnished by empty barrels of ale and a handful of wooden boxes where each person sat. Ara took the darkest corner; nightmares still haunted her in places like this one. Still, she had come to warn every Elder citizen that their leader was the least of their worries. With demon sightings piling up over the years, Ara knew it was her duty to stop the same disaster from striking another town.

"Welcome, ladies and gentleman," Hoffman's calm voice said. His face was cleaved by shadows, making the glow of his eyes sharper. The man looked around him, "I believe everyone is here. Let's begin."

The white-haired girl stood up from the box she had used as a seat and took place next to Hoffman, "Alchemists all around town are struggling to get the materials we need for all kinds of potions. We will be all forced to close if Wally does any more dumb moves against Fluone."

Hoffman nodded, "Is Anne-Marie here?"

A young blonde stood up, "Yes. As the second representative of the Alchemist guild, I share the same concerns. Not only is food being rationed now, but we have been forced to let some of our food go to those good-for-nothing refugees. Good thing is, they don't care if it's gone bad."

Ara clenched her fists. It was not her fault she could not do much. The Steel Crosses in Velder had taken her spear away, just like they took the few valuables the other people in that boat carried. She wished to speak in the name of everyone, but Eun's voice spoke so coldly that she froze.

 _Keep quiet._

One by one, the other nine merchants that had gathered spoke. Each one of them had different concerns for their business, their livelihoods, and how even the most important merchants were growing as poor as the populace. Only the burly man, a representative for the Blacksmith guild, said that his partner was a very religious woman and was surely still praying to the El. He added that he doubted it would make things any better, but it kept her focused.

The panic at the church came back to Ara's mind and, just at that moment, Hoffman turned towards her.

"If Renata is in the chapel...Who might you be, young girl?"

Ara straightened up and got up under the cold stares of the rest of the merchants. They were afraid, some even angry. The raven-haired girl took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I...overheard things about this meeting and I thought that, even as a non-merchant, I had to say something about a disaster I lived through."

"Non-merchant?" the burly man scoffed, "Why are you using such a weird word, girl?"

Anne-Marie glared at her, "I've heard some of _those_ talk like that. What in the Protector's grace are you here for, girl?"

The other people gathered around began to mumble in their foreign dialect among themselves, but their tone was enough to know that they were not exactly friendly towards her.

Hoffman, however, silenced the room with a single and deafening clap, "Now, now, everyone. I know we're facing hard times, but if one refugee came here to help, that's already one more ally for our cause. Feel free to speak, young lady."

His fatherly tone reminded Ara of her brother, and she nodded, suddenly feeling far more braver than what she had been for the past two years. She bowed to the audience and stepped to Hoffman's side, bowing again to thank the merchants for giving her a chance.

Then, she took off her hood and began to speak, "My name is Ara Haan. I know that Wally, your honourable leader, is driving your town into deep struggles. But, there is an even bigger threat over all of us: demons. Last summer, even I heard the news from Ruben and the missing El. This is exactly what demons do before they strike! You must talk to the guards, or Wally himself if you can. There is still time to stop the demons!"

She looked at everyone's faces, trying to find some friendly understanding, or at least some worry. Alas, they only returned either exasperated or hostile looks at her. Hoffman put a hand over her shoulder, pushing her back to the side.

"Well, it seems the foreigner does not have anything useful to add," he turned towards her and the same kind smile now looked no different than a mercenary's, "Please, young girl. Leave in the good graces of the El."

 _In good graces, my tails! You know what? That Renata is already dead and you'll be so-!_

"Eun, please. Don't be rude," she hissed, silencing the ancient spirit immediately.

The merchants eyed her curiously, and Hoffman chuckled, "Well, whatever disaster you survived, it sure made you _special_ , Ara. Go on."

Ara looked down, her cheeks growing red and tiptoed to the exit as the audience behind her chuckled. The laughter and smell of food was disgusting to her. Her stomach churned, and Ara went back into the chilly Elderian night, wondering if she would find anything close to a shelter for the night.

* * *

The final road to Elder was harsher than expected, all things considered. Luciela found little warmth underneath the woollen covers, and the fire, while warm enough to allow them to fall asleep, was always blown away by the unforgiving gusts of wind that the nearby storm gathered.

Luciela passed most of her nights barely finding any sleep and, while she was glad that was not the case for the others, she was annoyed to find that the self-proclaimed priest was awake when the cold ended her light sleep.

For most of the way, the demoness did not bother to say anything. In fact, she barely glanced at him before turning around and trying to find what little warmth she could. However, while the wind had stopped the night before their half-day of travel, the cold was so great she could not fall asleep again.

Shivering, she turned back, clenching her covers over her shoulders as she begrudgingly got as close as she could to the embers her natural enemy was trying to re-ignite. His bangs had grown almost as long as his eye-level and, without his usual side braid, Ain's hair almost reached his shoulders.

He glanced up at her and expertly stirred the flames with such precise and almost ceremonial gestures, she could have mistaken him for one of Hagen's hunters. It seemed to her she had seen him show this prowess before. Or maybe she had seen it in a dream. The flames burned anew, slowly growing again.

"Even if you didn't get the El, at least you know how to block the wind, demon," he whispered, "That's good. Everyone needs some heat."

"You still have not let that go?" she mumbled back, "By Sult, how insufferable can you be?"

The fire crackled silently between them for a long moment. She felt his cold stare on her, and once she could not stand it anymore, she glared back at him.

"What?"

"Maybe Miss Rena is right about you," he began, "maybe you can be honest. So, I will ask you something, assuming that you are tired enough to answer truthfully."

Luciela raised an eyebrow at him. What could he possibly want to know that neither of them knew about their people? Although she would love to tell the most horrible lies to him about whatever he would ask, Luciela preferred to avoid using the same dirty tricks Barkat used against her. Even towards a Celestial.

She would find a way to deal with him eventually. And it would be much more honourable than the way he and Barkat played with people's memories and hearts.

"Then, ask away."

Ainchase nodded, leaning back just enough for her to catch a glimpse of his gaze. Perhaps it was only because of the shadows of the fire, but she noticed a paranoid hatred rooted inside them. "You took the power of that elven grave. A power that is on par with mine."

The priest pulled his hood over his head, shrugging with half a grin, "If you wished to poison me, you would use such power, right? It would be discreet."

Luciela, for a moment, swore that Ain's voice was different as he continued. He dropped his arms and clenched his fists, speaking faster, angrily without ever increasing the low volume of his voice, "Everyone here is out of their minds, trusting you like a hero so blindly just because you saved them once. They wouldn't suspect a thing from you. You're lucky we haven't made it to Elder yet. Because the Church would hunt you down with just one word from me."

The demoness swung her tail menacingly, and another gust of wind brought complete darkness over the camp. Glaring at his silhouette, Luciela coldly replied before he continued on his rant, "I listened to a crippled Celestial out of good faith, prepared to answer a question, not to listen to a list of threats."

She got up and, as he lit the fire again, she looked down on him, "But to answer your question, Celestial, the power I gather is only for myself and Ciel. We promised to grow stronger to protect everyone in this group. I believe you have never promised such a thing. Or that you ever will. Isn't everyone just tools for you and your cruel goddess?"

Luciela spat her last words like venom, surprised to feel her heart squeeze just like when she remembered the most tragic day of her life. With conflicting feelings, wavering between tears of rage and a hateful scowl, the demon countess went back to her sleeping bag next to Ciel. It had already turned cold as ice, but her servant half-opened his eyes and gave her some space in his hammock. It was warmer and, as usual, comfortable to be near Ciel's embrace.

The morning came without notice and without a meal. The group quickly packed up their ice-covered quilts, covered themselves against the winds with scarves and hats, and mounted on the cart that an old, but still reliable stallion pulled. Luciela had the misfortune of having to sit between Aisha and Ainchase, as Ciel was the only one of the group who knew how to ride a cart safely. The first day ended almost in tragedy with Aisha on the reins. The so-called camels she knew were surely horrible beasts to use for transportation.

Around mid-day, as scheduled, the walls of Elder were visible, taking Luciela's breath away. The limestone walls rose far higher than those of the Soulscream citadel in Rigomor, back in the days of the Demon King. Golden arches and the click-clack of carefully tuned machinery reached her ears. The rich clothes the guards wore were on par with those of Velder and Senace, perhaps even fancier. As they reached the other side of the gates, however, the illusion of wealth and greatness Elder gave faded in an instant.

Luciela had to cover her nose to stop herself from gagging at the poignant smell of human filth all around them. Some homes had their windows broken, having been burnt or abandoned for years. All sorts of rotten fruit piled up at the corners of most of the streets, assaulted by rats or raven-haired people that spoke an Elrian so different, Luciela assumed they came from the northern Fluonian region. That was the only place she had not been in before in Elrios.

Once Ciel came to a halt in a nearby plaza, where the air was just a little more breathable, the priest was the first to hop off. If he was in pain by walking without any aid, he did not let it show.

Elsword called out to him, "Ain, what's the rush?"

The grey-haired priest looked back at him with his usual polite smile, "I'd like to visit the Elderian chapel, Elsword. I won't be long."

A young child stared strangely at Ain, almost as if he was waiting for him to lower his guard. "Big bro," he called him, "Big bro!"

The priest turned carefully at the child, briefly flashing a frown at the kid's filthy appearance. The group's clothes were far from being in their ideal shape, but that kid was wearing dirtier rags than a group of adventurers who had journeyed for months through a forest.

"If you're going to the chapel over there," the boy said, pointing at an alley just two streets across them, "Just be careful. They haven't cleaned it yet."

Luciela frowned at the priest as he thanked the child and walked down the sidewalk where he tried as best as he could to avoid the feces and glass shards over it. She glanced back at the kid and saw him holding the pouch of copper ED the priest carried with him. In the blink of an eye, she got off herself and grabbed the child by the wrist, making him fall with fright.

"Playing guard and thief?", she asked with an innocent smile as her grip around the child got tighter, almost strong enough to leave a mark, "I wanna play too!"

The boy let the pouch go and begged Lu with his eyes to let him go. She did so and was glad the pouch had fallen over the miraculous clean spot of the street. Luciela picked it up and gave it to Rena, "Take care of it. You know, these are our last coins. I'll go make sure this priest of ours doesn't get in any more trouble."

Rena nodded, "Take care too, Lu."

The demoness chuckled, "I always do, Rena."

With those final words, she dashed towards where Ain was going. She was not too worried about what could happen to him, but rather about what he would tell those priests. Humans and demons had not kept in touch for centuries, but with people like the Church of the El, one could never be careful enough. Luckily, Ciel had given her his protection insignia. She would only have to show that to the priests and, no matter how much Ain insisted, they would not pursue her. At least for a while.

Almost side by side, the two mortal enemies turned the corner where a wooden sign clearly indicated the presence of a chapel. Ain frowned at her, but barely slowed down at the increasing stench of...rotten flesh.

Luciela coughed, "Wait, priest, this smell-"

"It's everywhere, little elf. Sadly, we need to get used to it."

No. The streets smelt like waste. But this smell was unmistakable. As a demon, she would know it better than any other.

The smell got stronger, intoxicating. Finally, Ain's rush came to a screeching halt.

* * *

 **It's been a bit more than a month, but I'm back. :)**

 **College forced me out of for a while and I must say I'm impressed to have gotten this many views from every single one of you. It was a really ray of sunshine in these uncertain times. Don't hesitate to leave your thoughts, it's always nice to read any and all reactions of my readers. That said, I got some good news: next chapter is about a quarter done, so you can expect it sooner than my usual updates.**

 **Until next time!  
**

 **~Kalafinn**


	17. Chapter 16

Ainchase froze at the macabre scene that laid ahead. Priests, priestesses and civilians were impaled by arrows. Skeletons piled up at the exit of an alley as if they were fleeing, even in death. Rats and black-haired scavengers snatched away the jewelry, clothing and flesh of the dead. He barely heard Lu's shocked gasp and muttered prayers. His left eye itched and burnt, his blood boiled as he watched the scavengers leave the scene as casually as farmers left their fields. The golden cross of Ishmael was nowhere to be seen, and the remains of the chapel was stripped down by masons. His heart beat faster, he clenched his fists so tightly his nails bit through his skin, and blood dripped from his palms. Ainchase wished to destroy Elder at that instant.

The demoness stared fearfully at the skeletons of the guards. For an instant, she thought she heard her child -Belegor- calling her one last time. Her guts churned at the thought, her heart sinking painfully in her chest. Why was the magic she feared so strong here? Dread she thought to be long gone bloomed over her every inch. She had never felt this much pain since she had fled to Elrios.

Ainchase's eye turned completely black under the embrace of an unholy goddess. His human shell shattered, and he took a slow, predatory step forward. His hair began to float, carried by a nonexistent breeze. He opened his bloodied fists so the kiss of darkness healed his wounds in an instant. The servant of the goddess did not realize he was summoning chaos. He simply accepted the visions of the past, embracing the dangerous mistress of time who whispered in his dreams.

Priests and believers protested against the guards who stood in their way. He focused on the guards, turning the crowd into ghosts. There, he saw it as clear as day: one of the guards had the Shadow of Henir crawling over his face. Ainchase saw the hand of the goddess point at the guard. Her energy flowed in his veins, and he understood what she wished him to do. He only had to purify that Shadow, and the outcome would change. His goddess was giving him a chance to make things right again.

Luciela felt a cold sweat run down her spine at the sudden, silent tempest of venom that Ainchase created around him. He stopped next to a dead priest, holding a dagger made of his power. The demoness took a step back, fearing he would plunge his weapon in her heart. She glanced at it, her eyes widening as she noticed the wrath that permeated his blade. She knew what Celestial magic looked like, and for a second, it seemed to her that the glow of the dagger was duller. Closer to black than to white. The priest threw the dagger. It whistled through alley like lightning in a storm. The projectile was only stopped by the last stone pillar of the chapel, digging a deeper hole over the bloodstained ruins. A group of nearby crows and rats scattered, rightfully fearing for their lives.

"Victory," the priest mumbled in that slightly deeper voice that seemed to be someone else's.

The energy around him dissipated, giving her some respite to recollect her thoughts. She had called him a crippled celestial, but the power he had just summoned suggested the contrary.

"Good job, priest, you took out the vermin," she said, trying to sound confident even if she was not, "Now, let's head back."

Ainchase did not move, for he was still absorbed in his vision of the past. The Shadow had mockingly evaded his attack and spread its blood all around the guards. He could not possibly target every shadow quick enough, and soon, it possessed every other guard. The hand of the goddess vanished, leaving him to witness the tragedy to come. The guards yelled at the crowd, demanding the name of the one who had injured them. The innocents took a step back, and a brave priestess stepped forward to give the proper prayers for the damned. Yet, Ainchase knew that her words were useless. The Shadow could only create and thrive in chaos.

"Hey, priest," Lu said, raising her shaky voice. It did not take a genius to notice that Ainchase's silence was unsettlingly bizarre. Perhaps the Celestial was suffering the same kind of shock as she was. If they stayed here, paralyzed by fear, the others would be forced to leave them behind. Lowe and Hagus had warned them that Hoffman's guild closed its gates five hours after mid-day. Seeing the way the sun cast long shadows, Luciela realized their time was running out. The demon countess gathered her courage and took a few timid steps forward. Doing nothing or approaching the Celestial could kill her. She would be more at peace if she died after slapping some sense into that reckless priest. And yet, the mere thought of getting too close to him was disgusting. A proud demon should fight Celestials from a distance.

Ishmael's servant watched the priestess fall, powerless. The Shadow was bound to the guards' hearts, rapidly spreading its roots all over. It was too late to purify it without killing the guards. Ishmael would never allow him to kill any humans for her sake. The innocents pleaded for mercy, and the guards simply loaded their crossbows. His ears began to ring and the vision slowly drifted away. His fear and his anguish of every life taken kept him frozen in place. The pain in his eye died out, his appearance returned to normal, but his rage was now a dagger pointing at his neck.

The goddess gave him a chance, and he failed her. Again.

Luciela's fear of being blinded by the toxic mix of spiritual and celestial energy around her overcame her pride. She took hesitant, fearful steps forward. Now and then, she was forced to stop because her sight turned completely dark. Her head felt so light she feared she would fall unconscious at any moment. She had to make that Celestial snap out of it.

Luciela was only two steps away, and she encouraged herself to remain focused now that Ciel was not there to do so. However, the sound of a bone cracking under her last step reminded her of the unspeakable. Her vision went completely dark for a long moment. Her last memories were still foggy, but she had no doubt Barkat had broken her child's bones like that. She needed Ciel.

Her servant would always think of a good memory at moments like this. On her own, only the bad ones overwhelmed her. Unconsciously, she grabbed timidly at Ain's sleeve. Surprisingly, she felt her hand enveloped in his. It was warm and reassuring, even more than Ciel's. She looked up, slowly recovering her most cherished sense. The demoness hoped to see her servant, but there was no such luck. The priest's gaze was as pained as hers. His long mutism said a lot about his uncovered fears; his frailty laid as bare as hers. However, the warmth of his touch was nostalgically reassuring. At that moment, Luciela thought -as irrational and unnatural as it was- that the discrepancy between the story in his eyes and his gestures was familiar. And that thought led to a question: who was the person that her enemy reminded her of? Perhaps the answer laid in an embellished past that had never been.

Ainchase was still suffering from the aftermath of his vision. He did not recall if the demoness had followed him or not. He questioned the realness of the moment. Was he still trapped between a dream and a glimpse of the past, or was he completely focused on the present? The answer came in the shape of a child's hand. It timidly pulled his sleeve, awakening a long lost memory. Or perhaps just a lucid dream. Ainchase thought he had to stay by that child's side, as ridiculous as it was for a Celestial to get sentimental. He softly took her hand in his, oblivious to her recognizable blue dress and white hair.

Slowly, the two turned away from that hellish place, looking down at their feet, their hands clasped together. The two natural enemies held onto strange, fleeting thoughts that comforted them. Terror was their momentary cease-fire, but they both knew there was more to it; there had to be an unknown puzzle piece that had shut down their urge to kill one another. Other citizens ignored their slow pace, uninterested in knowing where two empty-handed foreigners were going. Lu and Ain ended up climbing the stairs to the sole park of the town. It was a plateau that divided the populace from the leaders. An imposing ivory statue of Wally rose at least two stories high. On the other side, there was a dried-up, broken fountain. In its basin laid a smaller statue of a woman holding her lover in her it stood, the statue was a celebration of two fabled lovers. Now, with snow slowly drowning the two in their grave, no one would remember they had been the symbol of a past golden age. At least, not until spring came around.

The square was completely empty, save for them. Two beings nurtured to hate each other stood at the boundary of Elder's former glory.

Lu's sight returned, unveiling a sky of rusty steel where snow fell softly over her clothes. The demoness saw a statue to her right and a broken-down fountain to her left. Even if the filthy horizon of rundown houses below her was completely foreign to her eyes, the peaceful quiet and the reassuring warmth of the priest's hand were not. If only she knew who she was remembering.

A sharp, wintry gust blew away what little warmth that kept the last remnants of a spring dream in her mind. She closed her eyes, feeling that they both let go of each other's hands simultaneously. What had taken over her? She should have felt disgusted by this situation, she should have shown him her outrage every step of the way here, but every emotion had grown numb. Without looking at him, Luciela broke the surreal lethargy between them.

"This is quite strange," she paused, rubbing her hands together to fight the cold, "Instinctively, I've always been wary of you. It is how things should always be."

Ainchase nodded, looking for a sign in the sky, the snow or even the wind, anywhere where the goddess could give him one. He needed an explanation for the unnatural closeness he had shared with a demon, of all beings. Under normal circumstances, he would lash out at her. But he had burnt away all his hostility in the chapel's ruins. There was nothing to feel anymore. Not even towards his natural enemy.

"Yes. You would dream of destroying me, but you would gain nothing by trusting me enough to grab my hand. And for this long."

Luciela raised an eyebrow, glancing at the blank expression the priest still harboured. No, she corrected herself, he looked guilty, terribly so.

"I don't think I need to remind you who grabbed whose hand in the first place. You are not acting like yourself, Celestial."

Seeing that the priest refused to answer her, she scoffed, looking back at the city, "But, to be fair, neither am I. Shall we go find the others?"

Ainchase turned around to look at her, seeing in her smirk the shadow of regret. He thought she might have felt that way for acting as irrationally as she had, "Demoness, why did you hold onto my sleeve back then?"

Luciela pressed her lips, sighing dejectedly before turning around to face the priest, "At first, I was going to slap some sense into you. The energy you gathered was poisoning me, and the best I could do was grab your sleeve."

"Then, why did you let me grab your hand?"

Luciela frowned, exasperated, "We could take the easy way out, and pretend nothing ever happened. But you do not know how to let things go, do you? Fine, let's scrutinize it to your heart's content!"

She dropped her arms, mentally cursing her current appearance. It forced her to look up at the Celestial. Lu pointed accusingly at the priest, "First of all, _I_ should be the one asking you a couple of questions. What took over you, Ishmaelian scum? What was the point of throwing weapons at nothing instead of me? What was the point of taking my hand and taking us here?"

Ishmael's servant pictured himself silencing the demoness with a slap across her face. But he was a Celestial; he did not have to lower himself to the irrationality of mortals. He huffed, crossing his arms as his eyebrows furrowed at her, "What could a spawn born from Elria's mistake understand about Celestial matters? There are things you mortals don't need to comprehend, just like there are mortal matters we don't need to comprehend." He let his words sink, watching for any reaction from her, but there was no change. "You and I are not supposed to try to understand each other. But what happened is taboo for both of us, so I need to understand why you would tolerate it for so long. You said my energy was poisoning you. Any other demon would have left, not get closer. What is wrong with you?"

Luciela's blue gaze widened, painfully aware of the truth behind his words. But the calm she had felt before was scorched away by her natural anger. She would not let such an insult go unpunished. Lu chuckled mockingly at the priest's questions, "Oh, is the Celestial worried for a demon's well-being? Is that why he asks me why I did not run away? And to think he is the one asking me what is wrong with me! Unbelievable!"

Ainchase gritted his teeth but did not let his wrath cloud his mind any longer. Instead, he countered her mockery, turning it against her, "It certainly is, demoness. You and your servant would certainly profit if I was no longer a threat to you. But turning me into your replacement servant is a very desperate move, don't you think so?"

"Oh, you're grating my ears with that, Celestial!" Luciela hissed. "I already told you that I did not use my power against you! How could I possibly know how to turn you into my servant or corrupt your power? If any demon noble could do that, our kingdom would be ruling Elrios."

"I know that much, and I can't accept it!" he muttered scornfully, turning away from her. Luciela took a step back, feeling another wave of poisonous energy building up around him. Why was he using his power so recklessly, channelling it to intimidate her? Had he been a demon or even a human mage, it would not have been as shocking, but Celestials were cold and calculating. She swallowed, the blazing anger was still there, but she understood that continuing her mockery would get her killed. However, she could not have known that Ainchase was not aware of the energy he was unleashing. At least, not until she spoke again.

Lu cleared her throat, "Why is that?"

The demoness watched her enemy look at the sky, his hood falling over his back, freeing his gray mane to the whims of the wind. She could not see his face, but the way he stood there, letting snow make his hair almost look silver, froze her fears. The menacing wave of power died out even faster than it had come. It seemed as if, for all his might, Ainchase was no different from a human.

"You just don't even know what this-" he angrily began, trembling for a second at the cold, or perhaps against the double-edged rage he was showing. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head as if he were dismissing a thought. His shoulders slumped with a sigh and his voice returned, almost as calm as it had always been, "Nevermind. Demoness, you don't have to know anything about me. I already said it."

He paused, turning once more to face her, "That said, I believe we should get going now. I don't want to know what a city this filthy and unlawful looks like after dark."

* * *

The merchant guild Richard Hoffman owned was one of the few semblances of normalcy left in Elder's downtown. The recognizable blue flags that hung over the façade were not torn to shreds like other decorations around the town. In the main room, servers and musicians entertained the few travellers who still tolerated Elder's chaotic rule. However, their tired and sometimes sick faces were enough to know that they would be passing a very short stay in town. Normally, every single merchant would ignore the others around them and talk business. This time, however, many had set their eyes on the El Search Party, wondering and whispering rumours about their arrival.

No one in the group of adventurers wanted to be the centre of attention. Especially Aisha and Rena. While the mage thought that no good came from foreign men staring at her for long, the elven ranger simply worried what people from the city would think of elves. After all, they destroyed entire forests to build their fortresses, chasing spirits and animals away from their lands. Elsword, on the other hand, worried about what he had overheard the night before, but he knew that the eyes of those around them would judge their every weakness. Until they were behind closed doors with Hoffman, the young knight did not dare to bring up his worries.

Ciel calmly sipped the water they had given them. He would have preferred a meal, but the prices for tea were ridiculously high, even with ED, the common coin of Lurensia. He did not care much for the matters of the state beyond the execution of criminals, but Lu had taught him enough for him to understand the exorbitant costs in ED were odd. If anything, they should be at an all-time low, given Elder's precarious situation.

A blonde woman dressed in the Cobo uniform approached them, adjusting her ponytail. Her smile was as perfectly artificial as her trade required it. Her beige and black uniform was highlighted by embroidered pink cloud patterns over the shoulders of her two-button jacket. The collar of her black shirt was tied with a ribbon where a polished sapphire amulet decorated her neck, the way a choker would have. Pink bows were tied to the beret over her head. She stunk of dried mint leaves and lavender, but that was already a breath of fresh air compared to how the rest of the town smelt like. Ciel was not sure how a woman working for Cobo could have gotten such a precious piece of jewelry and, on top of that, was not afraid to show it. He thought he caught a glimpse of a silver necklace underneath her collar, but her ponytail soon hid any traces of the chain. Something about her did not fit.

"Good evening, Adventurers," the woman began, "My name is Ariel and I work for Cobo services. May I see your identification? Documents issued from known towns only."

Rena raised an eyebrow at her, "Uhm, excuse me, do you work for Hoffman or his guild? We are really in a hurry to see him."

Ariel nodded, "I understand that perfectly, Miss…?"

"Rena."

"Oh, what a wonderful name. Well, Rena, we work with Mr. Hoffman's guild. Since you are newcomers, I must register you and verify your identity before you talk with him," the Cobo employee took out a portable quill and a notepad, noting down the elf's name, "I hope you understand it's just part of my job."

The elven woman slowly nodded, wondering how Ariel dealt with less cooperative individuals. Well, perhaps she did not deal with them. All things considered, there were still guards in Elder to deal with those kinds of people.

She began to search her bag for her adventurer certification issued by the El Search Party like the others. Ciel, however, had no intention of registering himself as an adventurer with Cobo. He simply took out the tags the Church of the El gave him and set them on the table. Ariel took note of each name and ranking, never ceasing her polite smile. When she finished writing a name, she nodded and let each one take back their identification. Only Ciel's tags remained on the table when Ariel's indigo eyes set on them. Her smile wavered for an instant. Ciel's simply glanced at her casually before taking another sip of water.

"Oh, this is unusual," she said, resuming her act of a Cobo employee, "what is the honourable Twenty-first Steel Cross doing with a group of Rubenian adventurers?"

Aisha blinked a couple of times at it, but she refrained from saying a thing in front of Ariel. She had thought Ciel had simply pretended to be part of the elite forces of Mage Executioners, but now those tags confirmed it. They were marked with his name and the enchantment that flowed from them left no doubt in her mind they were legitimate.

"I'm just travelling with them for a while. Considering the weight of their mission, I figured I could help them."

Ariel nodded, "My, you are just as noble as the rest. I had heard rumours you retired, but I'm glad to know for sure that you're still on duty."

Ciel hid his annoyance with a mouthful of water, wondering if what he was about to do was worth it, in the end. He could feel Lu was still alive, but the long time she and Ain were taking to come back was worrying him. Rena and Elsword glanced at him, both wondering what he was planning. The elven ranger wondered if his status took precedence over the permit Lowe gave him. Elsword, on the other hand, knew he was not required to identify himself with the church in the towns where it was present.

"Oh, after my last job, I decided to take a break," Ciel said with a chuckle, "You know, travelling a bit just to visit some family. Until I heard what happened around here. And I took my guns back. Do you mind if I register two people under my jurisdiction?"

Ariel nodded, "Not at all, sir. Which of these adventurers do you wish to put under your custody?"

"Oh, the people I want to register aren't here right now, but they shouldn't be long."

"May I ask why they aren't with you right now?"

The half-demon took his tags back, hanging them around his neck before hiding them underneath his shirt. With a grimace and a tired sigh, he explained a half-lie to the woman, "Ah, it's just my little cousin and a brother of mine. Well, not a brother by blood, just a pilgrim I've known for a really long time."

"Oh, my. How did your cousin get involved in your trip to Elder?"

Aisha turned away, wondering how Ciel would lie his way out of a trained official. Naturally, she understood his position and why he would try his best to protect Lu, but why Ain? As far as she was concerned, the priest had only briefly treated him better before taking a huge turn for the worse. Everyone felt that slight betterment before Ain had become even more hostile than what he had been before. If she had been in Ciel's shoes, she would not take such a risk to try and cover Ain's butt. Unless what Lu had said about him was completely true.

"She lives in Ruben and no thanks to a little rascal here," Ciel replied, looking at Elsword, "she developed a taste for the adventurer life, isn't that right, Elsword? All those dolls I bought for nothing."

The red-haired boy finally realized why Ciel had lied. Of course, Lu's presence would be suspicious in any big town. But what about Ain? Why was he lying about him? He furrowed his eyebrows for a second too many before forcing an apologetic smile, "Oh, yeah, Ciel. But at least the orphanage could profit from them. Lu has gotten good with her punches, though."

Aisha scoffed, joining in the farce only because she realized how much trouble they would be in if they did not cover up Lu's identity, "Dummy, you've made her cry so much it's no wonder she would follow us to prove that she can beat you in the next spar. Just be a good big bro and stop her from getting into more fights. She's still a little girl, you know?"

Steel Cross or not, the mage thought, if the Church of the El found out there was a demon as powerful as Lu travelling around Elder, they would never stand for it. The Church never left any witnesses.

Rena was not at all familiar with the world of humans, but by now she had understood that it was preferable to go along with Ciel's lies. She would ask him later for his reasoning, but, unlike the two other kids, she understood why Ciel had to also create a cover for Ain. She watched Ariel take note with a polite nod at their story, "I see, I see. So, your cousin's name is Lu. May I have a full name?"

"Luciela Jonquière," Ciel answered without hesitation, "My friend's name is Ainchase Ishmael. Once they come back, you can ask them for their identification."

"Luciela Jonquière and Ainchase Ishmael," the blonde echoed as she finally lifted her portable quill from her notebook, "Alright, then. It won't be long before you see Mr. Hoffman."

As Ariel walked away from them, she made a gesture to the maids and they too went away. It was then that Ciel could see the insignia stamped over the medallion that held the ribbon together on her beret. He knew all too well who wore the silver four-pointed cross circled by a cornucopia of gold and a ceremonial sabre. That symbol was identical to the one he wore on his armband. Soon enough, the other patrons left, possibly because of the El Search Party's arrival. The doors of the establishment closed with a dry, long creaking sound and the knock of a heavy lock from the outside.

Ciel clicked his tongue, combing back his blue hair with his hands, "The El be damned, who knew Cobo had people like me within their ranks?"

Aisha glanced nervously at the door while Elsword tapped his fingers on the table, looking for any other doors or way out. Getting locked in a merchant guild was not the way he had envisioned his welcome in Elder, but he could not fathom why people would be this wary of them when Hagus was such good friends with Hoffman.

Rena took out her bow and put it on her lap. She was probably in no shape to fire multiple arrows, but she felt safer knowing she had the means to fight if it came down to it. With her eyebrows furrowed, she glanced at Ciel, "Ciel, why did you insist on using your other rank?"

"Because I can't ensure Lu's safety otherwise. Especially not after what Ain came up with last night. Threatening her with his position in the Church...that was beyond anything he has ever told anyone. Do you know what's up with him, Rena?"

The elf looked to the side, holding onto her bow as she crossed her legs. Aisha sighed, resting her chin over her knuckles as she looked down on the wooden table they shared, remembering what the Phoru had asked her in Lua's territory. Lu had called him a Celestial that night, but was he really one? She had trouble believing that the myths of the Elrian Kingdom could be true, "I think that's the question burning in everyone's mind. I was glad to see him warm up to us while we were with Wilma. I thought it would last for longer instead of abruptly ending the second night we stayed in Hagen."

Elsword served himself a cup of water unsteadily, spilling a few drops on the table. He held the jar so tightly his knuckles were white, wondering if, behind their backs, Lu and Ain always talked in that tone. Maybe that was why Lu always refused to try to get too close to Ain. He did not want to bring it up to them, fearing that their group would grow further apart if he did. And yet, he wanted answers.

"I don't understand it either," he sighed before he took a big mouthful of water, trying to drown his worries as he gulped it down. The water was at room temperature, already taking on the aroma of rust, "I thought at the very least he trusted me a little from the start. He's made efforts. But he's far from a team player," The boy shook his head, grabbing his head in his hands, "But I still don't want to believe he really said that. Ain never looked to be the kind of person to threaten anyone."

"I'm also baffled by this, Elsword. But we all heard the same thing about his excitement to get to Elder, didn't we? With how people here would pursue her once he spoke about it, allegedly." Aisha chimed in.

Slowly but gravely, everyone nodded. That night had been by far the coldest to camp out. Nobody could have slept through the night, especially with the coming gusts of freezing air that carried snow right into their faces.

Rena combed her hair behind her ears, briefly tying her hair in a ponytail before letting it fall again, "I know it's very strange. But even if he has grown closer to, well, everyone here…"

She trailed off her sentence, taking her hands off her weapon and rubbed her forehead slowly with her left hand while she rested her right hand over the table, "I think he just isn't used to being with others like this. Getting closer to us is not something he is...I guess it's not something he'd find acceptable."

Elsword raised an eyebrow at her words, "A pilgrim not used to the company of others? How are they supposed to travel without meeting anyone in their way? Or even in their church or the village they live in?"

Rena shook her head, lowering her voice just to be safe. She was more than certain that the guild had ears set on them, for better or worse, "That's not exactly it, Elsword. You see-"

"That Phoru mentioned a Celestial…" Aisha mumbled into her cup.

Both Ciel and Rena heard her loud and clear and the mercenary was the first one to jump on the opportunity to know what Lu refused to tell him, "What Phoru? The one who approached you?"

The mage frowned at the tone Ciel was taking, but she gave him a straight answer, "Yes. And if the Phorus worked for Lua, they surely wouldn't do anything she didn't want them to. If a Celestial is what I think it is, and Ain is one of them, then Lua was probably looking to become even more powerful."

"Could you tell us more?" the half-demon asked, glancing at Rena for answers.

The elven woman took a deep breath in, shaking her head before sweeping with a glance everyone who sat around the table, "Don't you think it's a shame the only moment when you're truly interested about the people you don't get along with is to expose their secrets? First with Lu and Ciel, and now Ain."

Not a single word was said around the table for an eternity where each minute stretched like the flames in the fireplace at the other end of the room they were prisoners in. Elsword was the one to break the silence, "But Rena, I think keeping secrets is what tears us apart. I think that knowing what a Celestial is and why Lu hates it so much is a step to get Ain to get along with everyone once again."

"Elsword, you know that he was trying to make that step before we even discussed this. I know it's hard to trust people you don't know much about, people that make you doubt how much you can trust them, but you're not going to get anything by forcing them into a corner."

The young knight lowered his head, "Then, what do we do about this? Do we pretend nothing is wrong? I don't like that either! We're in this together, we shouldn't say that kind of thing to each other. No matter what."

"I agree with you," Aisha added, "I don't know if we can just keep quiet about this."

Ciel nodded gravely, "I understand, but Rena has a point. I know that Lu still isn't too keen about trusting anyone here, really. Partially because of how her nature became the focus of attention. I don't blame you, honestly. I reacted similarly when I first found out."

He stretched his arms, feeling just how sore the chair was making him, "I don't think we _should_ let this go, but there's just so little we can do to make a difference. If we want them to change, they both need to make the first step."

He sighed, putting his hands back on the table. The mercenary then traced the rim of the empty wooden cup in front of him with his index, "Lu hasn't said much about her feud with Ain to me either, but I think this just makes it obvious," the half-demon used mana to suck out the last droplets of water in the cup, making half of them glow weakly in blue, "We inadvertently put two old enemies to work with one another. It's not a fight we can end just by telling them to make up or else they won't have dinner."

The mana-filled droplets touched the ones only kept in suspension by the spell, bouncing off with a small spark, "And we have to also face the possibility they won't change at all. I wish Lu wasn't so stubborn about it, but she's a woman who bears hatred so deep it transpires even in her dreams. As for Ain, he's not only stubborn but extremely prideful. I don't know what to do or say to change them. Nor if I or anyone here should preach to them."

The group fell silent once more, looking down at the truth behind Ciel's words. Rena cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention with a tranquil smile.

"Whatever the case may be guys, we'll be together to face it. I'm sure we can solve this in due time. As long as we also give them time to make that first step."

Elsword briefly smiled and nodded, "I wish it was simpler, but I guess it's for the best."

At that moment, the door that Ariel had left through opened again, revealing her silhouette. She approached them and stopped five steps in front of their table. With a small bow, she invited them to follow her to speak with Hoffman.

"Can't we wait for Lu and Ain?" Elsword asked.

"I'm afraid Mr. Hoffman has matters to attend to shortly after. He has only fifteen minutes to speak with you, and no more. Please follow me."

Seeing her already turn around and walk away, the group of adventurers gathered their belongings and followed the Cobo employee in single file through the mess hall they were in, then the wooden door at the end of the tavern's counter. A narrow wooden corridor stretched out, leading to a spiral staircase in polished wood that looked to have been made in the last century by the way it creaked under each step.

As they climbed up, old paintings of Velderian legends hung over the wall to their right, some taking in the dramatic, steep shadows of the chandelier hanging straight above them. Once they stood on the second floor's hall, the building seemed to breathe again, showing them a wider corridor where they could stand two by two.

Windows let the light of a cloudy sunset filter through the hall in a rusty grey. Snow slowly whitened the view, piling up over the fake balcony where only an inch-wide sheet of snow could gather and dance in curtains with the wind, held by railways of copper so old the weather had turned them green.

The wooden floor was shining, but each step they took reminded them just how much history the building had. Wooden doors lined at the opposite side of the windows, all closed and possibly even locked. No sound came from them, not even to Rena's or Ciel's ears. At the very end, the hall separated into two aisles where instead of windows, other chandeliers and flower vases brought some life to the cracked green paint covering the walls. Ariel glanced at them, making a gesture to follow her to the right aisle where a single door laid a dozen steps from them. It was unlike the other one, where more closed doors followed one another until a small window showed the mundane life of the Elder's impoverished populace. Once in front of the door, Ariel knocked softly thrice before slowly opening the door made out of polished oak.

Hoffman's study was a stark contrast to the worn-out decorations outside of it. The floor was kept shiny and there was not a single piece of furniture that looked to be made for a local merchant. Bookshelves made out of Feitan Grey Oak, an antique grandfather clock with hands made out of gold, a replica of a Hamelian statue in marble, and sofas covered in fine Velderian velvet were only a few of the riches the spacious office held. Ciel already suspected that Hoffman had to be very powerful to have people like Ariel working for or just with him, but seeing this kind of study reminded him of his previous jobs for Head Priestesses and other high-ranking nobles. Elsword and Rena shared his awe of the decor for a couple of seconds, such that Hoffman got up to greet them with a polite smile and a handshake. Aisha was the first one to introduce herself, as if she had always interacted with people of Hoffman's calibre.

Once they all briefly shared a handshake, the head of Elder's Merchant Guild invited them to sit down, and Ariel went out, silently closing the door behind her. Ciel had not noticed weapons on her, and her skirt, while it could have concealed a few weapons, did not look very practical to suddenly jump into action. The sleeves of her coat, however, surely were that loose over her wrists to hide a blade or two. She was probably part of the Lurensian division, which specialized in close executions. And that made her only more threatening to anyone who noticed the symbol on her beret. Even though he had grown far stronger than any human thanks to Lu, he did not wish to come to fight against other Steel Crosses.

"Is something about my colleague Ariel troubling you, Mr. Ciel?"

Hoffman's words startled the mercenary out of his endless stream of possible plans to deal with a possible enemy. Whatever the case was, Ciel concluded, as long as Hoffman did not come to suspect him too much, Ariel would not strike. He would have to play nice with the man.

"I'm just surprised, honestly," he said with a shrug, "I thought Cobo was only an adventurer guild. You know, people that aren't too fond of the Church."

The dark-haired merchant gave him a small nod, "Oh, it must still be that way in Fluone. But, over here, Sir Felford has changed the policy quite a bit. That said, how is Hagus doing?"

"He's doing good, as far as we know," Elsword began, "I mean, as good as this whole situation allows him to be. Do you have anything on Banthus?"

The merchant sighed, resting his hands over his desk, "Sadly, none of my colleagues have heard much, not that we have much trade going on, with our goods being stolen by ruthless bandits." He lowered his gaze to the table, seemingly troubled by the whole situation.

Hoffman looked at them again, "Do you know if the rest of the troops in Ruben can aid us soon? Velder has only given us cold silence so far."

Rena avoided showing her suspicion beyond a brief frown. Ever since she saw him, something told her his words were as scripted as Ariel's. Knowing that Hoffman dealt with mercenaries like Ciel was already very odd.

"Oh, we are not too sure either," the elf said before Elsword could speak again, "but it would help to know even the tiniest bit of information you or your colleagues might have."

Aisha nodded, "I am with Rena. They say that every rumour holds a bit of truth, so even that can greatly help us and, by extension, you and the people of Elder."

Hoffman gave them a nod, clasping his hands together, "That's a very interesting proposal. But, as you know, it's not because I own the merchant guild here that other merchants trust my words and act accordingly. This isn't the Church, nor the Army."

Elsword furrowed his eyebrows, and Ciel did as well, but for different reasons. The boy asked what Ciel already knew the answer to.

"What does that mean, Hoffman?"

"Ah, it's quite simple," the man continued, getting up from his desk and standing in front of them, only leaning a bit with his hands on the edge of the desk, "A lot of merchants have grown very distrustful of outsiders. It's an exceptional situation, I'm afraid even I cannot convince them to trust you right away. You'll have to gain their trust first before they agree to tell you what they know."

The meeting was as short as Ariel had said it to be, and they were left with a mission to retrieve the stolen goods of a list of six different merchants who knew bits and pieces of Banthus's whereabouts. Ariel guided them to their respective rooms on the opposite aisle, the one they had not yet walked through, but Ciel stopped her.

"Excuse me, but is the entrance still locked?"

"Yes, sir. It is a bit late to keep the guild's doors open. Curfew started an hour ago for the citizens of Elder."

"But you do know we're waiting for two more people, don't you?"

The woman bowed a little, "I'm afraid I'm not authorized to give you the key, but a man of your calibre surely can sneak in and out of the side door at the other end of the main floor. At your own risk."

With an angry frown, Ciel dashed down the stairs. Aisha and Elsword wanted to follow, but Rena put her hands over their shoulders, "We should rest a bit instead. Let me help you unpack a bit, alright?"

Both kids looked at each other, knowing that Rena was surely planning on talking more to them about something. With a nod, they agreed, glancing to see Ariel just around the corner, sweeping the dust off the wooden floor with the precision of a clock.

* * *

Ara searched for dinner when the sun was long gone, leaving the streets dark until kids ran to light the candles inside the street lamps with long rods that lit up at the tip with the press of a button. As the street she was walking on brightened , she saw two unfamiliar people walking side by side, not saying a word to one another. They should have looked like two strangers, but the distance they kept was too short to be the case. As she got closer, she could see the girl had long ears and white hair, although Ara could not quite see her face underneath the grey hooded cloak she wore.

The priest next to her was dressed differently from those she had seen before, but there were none else who would dress in whites and have hair that long without being affiliated with the Church in some way or another. He held a small flask of alcohol in his hand, aiding himself with a simple wooden cane on his other hand. The alcohol was perhaps the only thing that was keeping him warm in the chill of the night and perhaps soothing his pain. She could see that crimson stains slowly grew over the coat he wore. She should help him, but her experience in Velder with some of the Church's people was far from good. The black-haired girl hid in the corner of an alley, peeking to see if the priest wore anywhere the symbol of the Steel Crosses.

 _Ara, child, that man is not one of them. The girl on the other hand...she stinks like a demon._

The last survivor of the Haan pressed her lips, wondering if she was already too late to save Elder. Then, something outrageous happened.

The hooded girl turned her head at the priest next to her, "I'm freezing too, you know? That priestess gave us that for the cold."

"And? You're a demoness. Fight the cold with flames, or something.", he questioned slurredly.

The girl was speaking with a childish voice, but somehow deeper. Like the voice of a young woman. How could a priest know that the girl he was speaking to was a demon and not try to do anything about it? Should he not have reported it already? The girl dashed forward and put herself in the way of the priest, "Yeah, sure. Here blue flames are hotter than red flames, but blue _demonic_ flames are cold. I don't want to lose fingers before facing Banthus, thank you very much!"

The priest lightly threw the flask and caught it again, "And you think alcohol can fight frostbite?"

"You've been shivering a lot less than I have even if you're steadily bleeding, so yes. From the looks of it, I'm going to pass the night outside, walking in circles, freezing my horns off with you in a town I don't know." She lowered her finger to point at the trail of blood the priest was steadily leaving as he walked, "And I'd rather not do it completely sober, with company who might pass out drunk or due to blood loss."

The priest chuckled mockingly, "There. You've shown your true colours. You just want to get drunk. Pushing your luck, don't you think?"

He tossed the flask to her and she caught it with surprisingly fast reflexes. The kind Ara had had to practice for months to get.

The demoness scoffed, "Hey, compared to what I've already been through with you today," she took a long gulp, almost finishing the contents of the flask, before wiping her lips with her sleeve, "getting a bit tipsy is nothing. I have survived worse wars than this feud. And I plan to keep it that way, Celestial."

Ara stepped back, trying to process what she had heard, confused as to what kind of rank a Celestial Priest held. She had never heard about them before. Eun's chuckle resonated in her head.

 _Oh, in all my years I would never have pictured this! A Celestial and a Demon drinking together? This is a first!_

"Eun, how's that funny?"

 _Oh, child, it's a war that goes so far in time it outlives me. Back in my days of freedom, you would never catch a demon and a Celestial together. My brother Batara insisted otherwise, but he was an incorrigible liar… Ara, be careful, a rat is climbing on the wall and is sniffing your shoulder._

"Eek!"

Ara leaped out of the way, noticing the rat before it bit her. Unfortunately, that was the end of her silent spying. She tripped over an old wood plank and fell headfirst into the main road, only two steps away from the two people she had been observing. The girl cleared her throat and crouched, speaking with the natural voice of a child, "Lady, are you ok?"

The Haan warrior sprung up, taking swiftly a step back with a nervous chuckle, "I am doing really good, demone- I mean, young girl!"

The Celestial Priest suppressed his laughter poorly, spitting the last gulp of alcohol back into the flask before chuckling behind his gloved fist, his head turned to the side. He was ashamed of showing his amusement and each laugh brought him pain. Still, in the priest's mind, there could not have been anything funnier than his enemy getting unmasked that suddenly.

Now that the white-haired girl was standing in front of her, Ara saw her unnatural ice-blue eyes and her pupils shaped like crosses. While they were different from Tir's, they had the same aura. She was a human-looking demon.

With a wrathful glance at the Celestial Priest to her right, the demon girl stood up, dusting her cloak off. When she spoke again, it was with the same strange voice that was between a child's and an adult's and the effects of the alcohol showed in her voice, "Well, so long for keeping appearances. You're the first person we've seen in a while and we can use your help. Do you mind helping us?"

 _Oh, how refined manners for a drunk demon. A noble, I suppose._

"Eun, you know her?" Ara muttered as the Celestial Priest's laugh died out.

"Eun?" the demoness questioned.

"Oh, uhm, well…" Ara glanced at the priest, noticing his eyebrows also furrowed at the mention of the name, "I...It's nothing."

The black-haired girl thought about fleeing again, her heart running faster and her cheeks grow redder not because of the cold but out of shame.

 _Ara, these people won't hurt you._

"How can you be so sure?", the girl thought, "One of them is with the Church!"

 _And the Church here is no more. Also, he's a special case. It's not a mistake to help them if you wish to, Ara. I'm always here for you in case things turn sour, remember?_

The silver-haired priest stepped closer to her, probably worried by her long silence, "Young lady, are you feeling unwell?"

Lu raised an eyebrow, wondering if the alcohol or the blood loss had finally hit Ain. Never had he reached out to a stranger like that before. She figured that if alcohol made him less of a pain to talk to, she should not dwell on it too much. It was simply a temporary change of mood. It was far less hostile than whatever had led them to that park. Come to think of it, she did not know what was worse, the silence before or after it. This first day in Elder was by far one of the most bizarre in all her life.

Hesitantly, Ara shook her head, "No. I'm fine. I...well, you said you needed help. What is it?"

"We need to get to the Merchant Guild," the priest said, "We sadly got lost on our way there."

"Yeah, because you don't have any sense of direction."

The grey-haired priest gave her a cold stare, but Lu simply shrugged, "And neither do I. Or else we would have been there already."

Ara blinked a couple of times, stunned by what she had heard, "You've been here for hours without finding it?"

"Yes. The city is quite big and neither of us could find the way back there," the girl continued, "We were told it was not far from the chapel but we took a small detour and never found our way back."

"A small what got you lost?"

The priest sighed, offering a tense but polite smile, "We took a wrong turn, young girl. That's all. Would you mind taking us there?"

Ara shook her head, increasingly confused as to how these two people could have passed hours without finding what was arguably one of the most recognizable buildings of Elder. She pitied them. Despite their knowledgeable appearances, even priests and demons could be as clumsy as her. She understood that weakness so well. In the name of the Haan, she would help them.

With a determined nod, she finally gave her answer, "Very well. I, Ara Haan, will help you find your way, my esteemed and fellow clumsy travellers! Follow me!"

While the two followed, they glanced at each other with a complicated expression on their faces. They were not clumsy at all. It was insulting for the Steel Queen and a Celestial to even be called clumsy. However, revealing the real reason why they got lost was something neither of them had the heart to do.

Getting called clumsy was much less embarrassing than telling the truth to a stranger that was taking her job as a guide just with a little too much enthusiasm. Ara asked them about their names, their occupations, and there was hardly a silent moment before she knew their fake backstories in and out. Deep down, Lu and Ain were both thankful the alcohol in their veins was making everything more tolerable. Lu figured that perhaps the girl had not had the chance to talk to anyone like this in quite a long time. And perhaps that made her mind imagine whoever Eun had been. Ainchase, on the other hand, wondered if humans with shattered minds were all this talkative. Still, he appreciated the focus to stop himself from stumbling to his increasing dizziness. Each step was tougher to keep straight, but he was managing to do it far better than the demoness, who was already walking in small zigzags.

Finally, after long minutes of walking, Ara stepped to the side, showing off the building of the guild as if she owned it, "And there it is! Hoffman's Merchant Guild!"

Ain frowned, growing increasingly silent as Lu was now the one to chuckle softly more and more, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Why would humans place a Merchant Guild next to the atelier of a pyro alchemist? One thing goes wrong and boom! Everything is gone!" Ain protested.

Luciela's chuckles grew into full-blown laughter, much to Ainchase's discontent. Ara tilted her head, "Wait, so you've already passed nearby? And...aren't you human too, Ain?"

"Yes, and it just so happens that when I'm tipsy, I say strange stuff. It's nothing strange."

Lu's laughter did not stop and Ain glared at her, "Demoness, stop laughing!"

The girl took a breath and spoke in between chuckles, "Oh, I can't stop, Celestial. This is hilarious, Ara. Let me tell you why," she was still smiling as she pointed out to the boulevard they had turned around, "We passed near that atelier about five times. I told him the first two that…" she laughed again before taking another deep breath, "Oh, my stomach...So, I was insisting for the first two times we should try this way despite the smell of sulphur, but he was like: 'Demoness, are you insane? No one would put a merchant guild next to something like that!' And it made sense, sort of. But now..."

The girl continued to laugh, oblivious to the daggers Ain was throwing at her.

"Alright, demoness, you've made your point. Stop laughing now."

"Can't make me, Priest," she said, still smiling as she shook her head, "You had your fun laughing at me, this is just Sult's retribution. Accept it!"

"That god has no grasp on this world, demoness," he quietly replied.

"But he does to me. It's my god and I'm living here. Hence, Sult has a grasp here."

"One believer is not enough."

"You came up with that rule, but I'm a demon. I break rules for a living, according to you and your goddess. Or am I wrong on that too?"

Ainchase rolled his eyes, "No, but you're still wrong. You're too drunk to argue, demoness."

"Ah, you're also too drunk to argue, priest. Isn't that right?"

The demoness chuckled, looking back at Ara. The girl offered her a smile back, but she was confused about what they were rambling about. Yet, it seemed to her that, for whatever reason, they were just friendly rivals. Lu was not that different from Tir, a child demon who never hurt anyone.

 _I doubt that. You're seeing them under the effects of strong alcohol, Ara. There's a reason why spirits used to take alcohol as an offering for unity._

The creak of a side door opening at the end of an alley got her attention. She looked beyond and saw the figure of a man exiting it.

"Someone came out," Ara said, pointing at the man who had two long and strange-looking swords tied to his belt.

The two people she had guided turned around and Lu waved at the shadow, "Ciel! We're here!"

Lu turned back to her and asked her if she had a place to stay. Of course, she did not. It was sadly the case for much more of Elder's population than what Wally would ever admit to. Lu asked the priest if he would mind sharing their shelter with Ara. Ainchase looked at Lu and sighed, "I don't mind her. But will the others agree? They don't know her."

The demoness rolled her eyes, "If you, of all people, do not have a problem, why would anyone else have it? Ara's helped us. Why not return the favor? I doubt anyone else would refuse."

As the man stepped out into the street light, Ara's tears of happiness vanished along with her smile. Her eyes focused on the sigil embroidered over his armband. She knew that symbol all too well. The blue-haired elf looked curiously at them after Lu ran to him, taking him closer to the rest.

"Lu, are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here with the priest and Ara," she said, presenting the fidgeting girl with a swift hand gesture, "She's part of some fighters from far away in Shin. In any case, she helped us get back here and has nowhere else to go. You don't think people would mind if we-"

"Thank you for the offer, Lu," the girl replied, bowing to the demoness, "but I'm afraid I must refuse."

Lu blinked, "Really? Why?"

Ara combed back her hair, "Ah, well, you know, I just...actually have a friend nearby now that I remember! Don't worry about me and have a nice evening!"

Ara dashed away, fearing for Elder's safety. What kind of strange group was Lu involved with? Not only was she accompanied by a Celestial Priest, but she had ties with the Steel Crosses. She was dangerous. Ara promised she should find out about what Lu was doing here besides being an adventurer.

Startled by the way the raven-haired girl had run away, the three members of the El Search party looked briefly at one another for a couple of seconds before deciding to head back in. Ciel could smell alcohol on both of them.

"Where were you?" he asked, "out in a tavern?"

"No," Luciela replied, "Just out, trying to get back. Eventually, a priestess gave us something to keep us from freezing. That's probably what you're smelling."

"It smells quite strong. How was the, uhm, chapel visit?"

A long silence settled in, only filled by the creaking wooden floor and the occasional drop of blood. After what seemed like an eternity, Ain sighed, leaning heavily on the wooden railing. His forehead was covered in sweat as he lifted his head to glare at them, "Why don't you ask your mistress?"

Ciel was surprised to hear Ain's words be just a bit slurred, despite being quieter than the volume he usually spoke. The half-demon glanced at Lu, but she looked outraged by the question. It was better to drop the matter.

With a tired sigh, the half-demon opened the last two doors of the corridor, "Well, never mind that. What's important is that you both made it back. Here are the free rooms."

Ain took the last room, the one closest to the window, and excused himself for the night. He was about to close the door when Ciel noticed the blood on his coat.

"You need treatment, Ain. Stay right there."

The silver-haired priest turned slowly around and sat on the edge of the bed, "I know. Could you wake Miss Rena up?"

Ciel nodded and noticed that Lu was still standing next to him, "Lu, aren't you going to your room?"

The demoness shook her head, "No can do, what if Ara changes her mind? It's not like we haven't shared a room ever before, right Ciel?"

"Alright, Lu."

The two demons knocked on Rena's door and Ciel informed her of the situation before heading to his room. Lu entered first, crawled over the edge of the bed and almost immediately fell asleep. Ciel closed the door behind him and sat on the chair next to the window and looked at the sleeping woman.

The mercenary wondered what he should make of what he had overheard while he took off his coat and loosened the buttons of his shirt, leaving only a cotton sleeveless shirt where his tags were completely visible. Ciel did the best he could to find a place to sneak over the bed next to Lu before blowing the light of the oil lamp out. In perfect darkness, he slowly found sleep.

* * *

Two rooms to the right, Ain was still sitting, staring blankly at the night as he felt his fingers, legs and even face melt the cold away. Rena was taking out bandages and other unguents Sylfer allowed her to take. Rena barely spoke to him, simply asking to take off his coat and, if he could, the shirts underneath so she could take a better look at how his injuries were. She was astounded how he was still walking casually for so long without fainting along the way. The bandages were soaked in blood, but it seemed that Ain did not mind the pain.

"Ain," she softly called him, using magic to keep his blood from soaking his bedsheets too. "How much does it hurt?"

"Not much," he slurred, frowning to drown a groan of pain as the elf carefully peeled the dirty bandages off to replace them, "The cold helped to numb it down."

Rena nodded, carefully studying the stitches where some blood was flowing and, most worryingly, the ice had stuck part of the bandages to his skin. If she was not careful, she could peel Ain's skin right off. He might be very drunk and somewhat desensitized to pain, but that was no reason to take any risks.

"Is there something wrong, Miss. Rena?"

"Hm?" the elven woman looked up at him, noticing his eyes seemed to have lost a bit of their glow. Just like the blue highlights of his hair. With a short sigh, she stopped her gestures to treat his wounds and put a hand over his shoulder, "I should return the question, Ain. Is there something wrong?"

"Yes. But," The priest looked to the side, pressing his lips for a second, "Elves...are not exactly mortals, are they?"

Rena raised an eyebrow at him, "Well, we get old, but we don't die in the human sense of the word. It's more complicated than that."

"Ah, I see."

For a second, he was relieved. He opened his mouth as if to confide something to her, but just as he turned around to tell her, he froze. For a moment, she swore she saw a shadow crawl over his left eye, but it vanished in the blink of an eye. Seeing the way he was sweating, she assumed his fever was rising again. She went to search for one of the cold infusions she kept in flasks and gave one to Ain. He took it in his cold hands, nodding to thank her, but did not take a gulp from it. He stayed frozen there for a long moment before looking up to see her eyes.

"Miss Rena, how much should I trust you?"

The elf nodded, getting back to work, "I can't answer that for you, Ain. You can trust me and everyone else as much as you feel comfortable. You need to drink the infusion for your fever, though."

Ain nodded and finished the bitter mixture in two big gulps before laying down to the side, giving Rena a better angle to treat him. As she delicately disinfected Ain's sutured wounds, she was glad to notice that the cold had not burned his skin too badly. It was turning out to be easier than she had expected. A long silence passed before what Ain said startled her.

"This doesn't make any sense," he muttered, clenching his fist, "the goddess should be the one giving me strength, hearing me, answering every time I pray! Not...anyone else."

Unexpectedly, Rena felt him tremble. She glanced at his face, looking for the next sign of a delirious fever, but there was nothing of the sort. Was he trembling with emotion? He always seemed too composed to ever be overwhelmed.

"Ain, do you feel at ease to tell me what's bothering you?"

"Yes...but that's going against her. Maybe all of this group travelling is going against her."

Their gazes met again, but this time, Rena was not sure anymore what she could say. Perhaps what she had told everyone else was not true. Maybe they were all harming him, in one way or another. She had only seen Celestials when she was very young and now, she was going against Branwen's advice on how to treat them, "Ain, would you have preferred to be all alone from the very beginning?"

The Celestial frowned, looking down before shaking his head, regaining his composure alarmingly fast, "On my own, Miss Rena, I could not get anywhere. Maybe that's why the goddess has been silent. I just need to be more patient and redeem myself in her eyes."

Although she did not say another word, Rena worried of that feverish longing she saw lurking in Ainchase's eyes as she finished tending to his wounds. Although she knew that his temperature had gone down before she left him to sleep, Rena felt her drowsiness fade away in the middle of a hundred more worries.

She laid down on her bed after washing her hands thoroughly. Sleep came late, dreamless and dark, like the answer to her questions.

* * *

 **I don't know if I will be able to update next month, considering how the current global situation has made college a tad more stressful than usual. I will try to, but I know that it's more likely I will return in June. Hopefully with a double chapter update. Until then, I hope you have enjoyed these longer chapters. Share your thoughts and I'll see you next time.**

 **~Kalafinn**


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